Joe Rogan is known for speaking his mind without hesitation which has helped him to achieve success as a commentator, actor, TV host, and podcaster. While his distinct brand of candidness may invite criticism, those who tune into his podcasts can attest that the former Fear Factor host strives to maintain a balanced conversation.
Numerous times, the UFC commentator put forward his opinion which has been rather polarizing and has caused serious controversies. In this article, we will be talking about the 5 worst takes that Joe Rogan has had.
1. Ronda Rousey can beat half of the men’s bantamweight division
During UFC legend Ronda Rousey’s era of dominance, her widespread appeal extended beyond MMA enthusiasts, leading people to speculate on potential opponents for her, often generating some unconventional opinions. One notable rumor from that period involved the notion that Rousey could hold her own against male bantamweights in the UFC, a viewpoint even endorsed by Joe Rogan himself.
In the past, Rogan expressed his openness to a Rousey-Bryan Caraway bout if the UFC decided to arrange it. Additionally, he asserted that Rousey could emerge victorious against half of the male UFC bantamweights.
“There’s a lot of guys her size she could beat. I mean, a lot. If you took the roster of the UFC’s bantamweights, 135 pounds, and you paired them up against Ronda Rousey, she might be able to beat 50 percent of them. That’s not a joke.”- said Joe Rogan On Dan LeBatard’s show.
However, the UFC color commentator then clarified himself a couple of years later by saying: “That’s definitely not true. I shouldn’t have said it at the time, now it’s definitely not true. She could beat a few that aren’t good outside the sport. Look, if she gets guys on the ground she could f**k a lot of people up.”
So, Rogan was just using hyperbole to express his regard for former UFC champion Ronda Rousey.
2. Ronda Rousey beating Floyd Mayweather
Joe Rogan lauded Ronda Rousey to the extent of suggesting she could defeat half of the male bantamweight fighters in the UFC. Furthermore, the UFC commentator asserted that Rousey could not only triumph over the undefeated boxing legend Floyd Mayweather but also dominate him in the process.
During his appearance on ESPN’s SportsNation, Rogan was questioned about the outcome of a hypothetical matchup between ‘Money‘ and ‘Rowdy.’
“Ronda Rousey. I’m not kidding you. It’s too hard to avoid the clinch. If Ronda got a clinch on him, it’s not just about worrying about getting taken down to the ground, it’s about worrying about knees to the body, it’s worrying about her manipulating his body in a way that he doesn’t understand,” said Rogan.
Rogan expressed admiration for Rousey during her undefeated stint as a UFC athlete. Although the JRE host later acknowledged on his podcast that he had hyped up the judoka, he maintained that it wasn’t mere ‘bullsh*t.’ According to Rogan, Rousey’s impressive performances inside the Octagon before her losses justified the praise.
3. Comparing Henry Cejudo to Alex Pereira
Joe Rogan is undeniably at the forefront of building up the hype around Alex Pereira. The experienced commentator has gone as far as arguing that the recently crowned UFC light heavyweight champion could potentially outshine the achievements of the former two-division UFC champion and Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo, making a case for Pereira as the greatest combat sports athlete in history.
“Yeah, he [Henry Cejudo] won the gold medal in the Olympics. However, [Alex] Pereira, when he was fighting in GLORY [Kickboxing] – he’s fighting elite professionals, you know, where Henry is wrestling amateurs.”– said Joe on his podcast with Sean O’Malley.
Understandably so, the popular stand-up comedian got bashed by the fight fans as Triple C is one of the only 4 fighters to have attained the double champ status in the UFC. Moreover, an Olympic gold medal is the peak of achievements for any athlete.
4. Jorge Masvidal is a better mixed martial artist than Georges St-Pierre
Accumulating years of dedicated observation in a sport brings a considerable depth of understanding, and according to Rogan, this knowledge has led him to believe that former UFC welterweight contender Jorge Masvidal is a superior fighter to UFC Hall of Famer and former two-division champion Georges St-Pierre.
On an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan asserted that Masvidal (35-16 MMA, 12-9 UFC) operates on a different level compared to GSP (26-2 MMA, 20-2 UFC). This judgment is based on the evolution of the sport and the caliber of opponents each fighter has encountered throughout their respective careers.
“Yeah, I think if Masvidal was around at that time he would be dangerous for everybody, I think he is on another level.” – said Rogan on his podcast.
Fight fans would know that GSP has been considered as one of the greatest fighters to have fought in the world’s biggest MMA organization. In his last fight that happened in 2017, the Canadian defeated Michael Bisping to win the middleweight gold. This was his return to MMA after a hiatus of 4 years and also his debut in this division.
5. Joe Rogan on Jan Blachowicz vs Israel Adesanya
Within the MMA community, specific segments have frequently accused Joe Rogan of displaying bias toward certain fighters. One notable incident highlighting alleged biased commentary occurred during the Jan Blachowicz and Israel Adesanya bout at UFC 259 in March of 2021.
Told you so as did every judge. The commentary was unbelievably biased tonight.
— Justin Gaethje 🇺🇸 (@Justin_Gaethje) March 7, 2021
Blachowicz secured a unanimous decision victory, outpointing Adesanya over five rounds. Many members of the MMA community, including notable UFC figures like Marvin Vettori and Justin Gaethje, criticized Rogan and his co-commentator Daniel Cormier for seemingly favoring Adesanya.
Critics contended that Rogan and DC’s commentary inaccurately depicted Adesanya as the more dominant fighter, despite Blachowicz clearly emerging as the winner.