UFC commentator and podcaster Joe Rogan might not have anything to do with boxing as a sport, but he does have some vital advice for David Benavidez. You see, the WBC mandatory contender for Canelo Alvarez has been chasing a fight against ‘Canelo’ for well over two years now, but his efforts have been largely ignored. 

Fans around the world, including Joe Rogan, are eagerly hoping to see this fight happen. The podcaster even discussed the potential matchup on his widely popular podcast, JRE MMA Show #162, with guest and current UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad. To the surprise of many, Rogan voiced support for Canelo’s hefty demand of $200 million to face Benavidez, while also offering some candid advice for ‘The Mexican Monster.’

Joe Rogan wants the Saudis to shower those dollar bills

Discussing a fight that never happened between Andre Ward and Canelo Alvarez, Rogan instantly brought up Benavidez’s case. “I want to see Canelo and Benavidez. I am like come on Saudi Arabia throw that money. Let’s see that fight,” Rogan said. He explained that even though he wanted to see Terence Crawford and Canelo fight, the Saudis should try to make the Benavidez bout.

It’s worth noting that His Excellency Turki Alalshikh had reached out to Canelo’s team with an offer for the Crawford bout. However, it fell apart very publicly, when the duo started a social media feud. Canelo has since revealed that he is still open to a Crawford bout if the right money is being offered.

Regardless, Rogan elaborated that, unlike Crawford, Benavidez is in the right weight class and a significant threat to Canelo. “Benavidez is not a weight jump, that’s the right weight. And that guy’s a killer and it makes the most sense. And Canelo’s like give me $200 million,” Rogan explained. He further shared his valuable advice, suggesting David Benavidez should stay and fight Canelo at 168 pounds. 

This comes after ‘The Mexican Monster’ jumped up to 175 pounds and went head-to-head with Oleksandr Gvozdyk in a fight where Rogan felt Benavidez “didn’t look like the same guy that he looks like at 68.” Interestingly, while a potential Canelo vs. Benavidez fight is still up in the air, Benavidez is the mandatory challenger under WBC for the winner of the Dmitry Bivol vs. Artur Beterbiev since his victory over Gvozdyk. 

Meanwhile, Canelo Alvarez is slated to square off against Edgar Berlanga on September 14th in Las Vegas. And do you know what the funny thing is, Benavidez not fighting Canelo right now has let this UFC headliner for UFC 306 take a sigh of relief.

Sean O’Malley is glad Canelo Alvarez is not fighting David Benavidez

Sean O’Malley can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that Canelo Alvarez won’t be facing David Benavidez. With UFC 306 on the horizon, O’Malley’s highly anticipated bantamweight title defense against Merab Dvalishvili was at risk of competing for attention with a potential Canelo-Benavidez mega-fight on the same night in Las Vegas. Now that Alvarez is set to fight Edgar Berlanga instead, O’Malley is confident UFC 306 will own the spotlight that night.

In an interview with Kevin Iole, O’Malley expressed relief, stating, “I’m glad he’s not fighting David Benavidez because that’s something I’d like to sit down and watch.” He acknowledged that Alvarez is a huge draw in combat sports, but the Berlanga fight lacks the same impact. With Benavidez out of the equation, O’Malley feels poised to steal the show and deliver a performance that could overshadow Alvarez’s, especially if he manages to knock out Dvalishvili, a fighter who has never been finished inside the octagon.

It’s unclear what fate holds for David Benavidez next. Will he ever get to fight Canelo Alvarez? Experts believe Canelo would eventually agree to the fight, but when that will happen is anybody’s guess. Joe Rogan, at least, hopes it happens soon. Do you think the fight will ever happen?