Legendary commentator Joe Rogan was among the 60 million fight fans who tuned in on Netflix to watch Mike Tyson end two decades of retirement and take on an opponent more than 30 years younger. When asked what he thought of the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight during an episode with Gad Saad, the 58-year-old remarked, “Paul vs Tyson was fought at a pace akin to a sparring match, rather than a professional contest where two heavy hitters were trying to knock each other out.” Despite Tyson’s loss, Rogan commended him for pushing through, clearly impressed by the former champion’s resilience.

The bout itself not only set streaming records but also reignited debates about whether cross-generational matchups are sport or spectacle, a conversation that has flooded boxing subreddits and X threads since the fight night.

Meanwhile, Michael Jordan once famously admitted, “I have a competition problem.” That very problem fueled his six championship titles and the Chicago Bulls’ historic run. But it also brought challenges, not only for MJ’s opponents but for the NBA legend himself, with gambling stories following him for decades, including an infamous tale from his college days. Still, there’s no real comparison between the legacies of Mike Tyson and Michael Jordan. Now, the two sports icons have drawn attention together once again, as Joe Rogan makes a dark confession that leaves fans wondering. So what did he say?

Just hours ago, Joe Rogan Podcast News shared a clip on X featuring a conversation from a few months back between Joe Rogan and his guest, stand-up comic, actor, and broadcast personality Jeff Dye. In the discussion, Rogan addressed the concept of “equality of outcome” and why he opposes it.

“There’s people [who] want equality of outcome. It’s a very important point, but there’s not equality of effort. It just isn’t,” he said. To illustrate, Rogan compared life to a relentless race, explaining that exceptional individuals like Michael Jordan and Mike Tyson stand out because of their rare combination of hard work and natural talent. “In the mad dog race of life, you’re occasionally gonna get a Michael Jordan. You’re gonna get a guy who works harder than everybody and he’s gifted and he’s gonna exceed… Nothing you [can] do about Mike Tyson when he was 22 years old.”

Rogan continued, emphasizing that greatness often leaves others playing catch-up. “He’s gonna be number two. You’re eventually gonna get to have to fight number one and that’s not gonna be a lot of fun,” he said. Using Tyson as an example, Rogan described the heavyweight legend’s early years: “That guy, when you saw the way he trained when he was a young man… he trained like a person possessed. He was obsessed with fighting, it’s all he had… talented and gifted.” For Rogan, these rare traits combined – obsession, relentless effort, and innate ability, make certain individuals nearly unstoppable in their fields.

In his final point, Rogan argued that no laws or rules can level the playing field against such rare talent and determination. “So if you have those things all together, the world is not fair. And you can’t make it fair with laws and you can’t make it fair with rules,” he said. He stressed that suppressing someone’s success doesn’t improve fairness, even if that person seems extreme. “That includes someone who’s a f—— complete psychopath who studies 18 hours a day… starts a business when they’re 19… a billionaire by the time they’re 26… and then… buys Twitter from Elon Musk. You can’t stop that.” The remark about buying Twitter instantly triggered a storm of speculation among listeners, many connecting it to Elon Musk’s own recent decisions about the platform’s monetization and moderation policies.

For Rogan, it’s simply the reality of a world where drive and talent inevitably create massive gaps in achievement. However, because Mike Tyson’s greatness is unmatched, there was once a boxer who believed he could break Tyson’s record. But alas, he couldn’t. So, who are we talking about?

20-year-old snubs Mike Tyson for Floyd Mayweather in $1.2B career move

Rising British heavyweight Moses Itauma once set his sights on breaking a record held by the legendary Mike Tyson. At just 20 years, 4 months, and 21 days old, Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion in history by defeating Trevor Berbick in 1986. Born on December 28, 2004, Itauma turned professional in January 2023 at the age of 18, with the goal of winning a world title before May 19, 2025, to surpass Tyson’s feat.

However, that dream has now slipped away. At 20 years and 7 months old, Itauma has passed the age milestone without securing the title. He later admitted that his ambition may have been overly optimistic, acknowledging the hurdles of boxing politics that prevented him from landing fights with reigning champions. With the Tyson record out of reach, Itauma has shifted his inspiration to another icon – Floyd Mayweather, whose career earnings reached a staggering $1.2 billion.

Itauma’s upcoming clash with 37-year-old veteran Dillian Whyte on August 16 in Riyadh is for the WBO No.1 contender spot, which could position him for a world title shot if Oleksandr Usyk vacates his belt later this year. Fans are already debating whether Itauma’s combination of youth and knockout power is enough to trouble the top-tier heavyweights, or if Whyte’s experience will expose gaps in his game.

“I want to be like Floyd Mayweather, for example,” Itauma told Ring Magazine ahead of his upcoming 12-round bout against Dillian Whyte on August 16 in Riyadh. “He made a lot of money in this sport, came out of it with his brain intact, no damage, and nobody can say, ‘Yes, I f—– him up.’ That’s the career that I want.” Whether Itauma can follow in Mayweather’s footsteps remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: each fight from here on will shape whether he becomes the man he envisions or veers off that path. Do you think Itauma can be like Money Mayweather?