The world of MMA has never seen a fighter quite like Yoel Romero. The Cuban fighter’s insane athleticism and the ability to take some of the stiffest shots ever made him a force to be reckoned with. However, UFC color commentators and podcast host, Joe Rogan, mentioned how Romero’s fused neck makes him look unusual while running.

Yoel Romero was one of the most intimidating fighters during his prime in the UFC. He joined the promotion in 2013 but never won any major championships. However, he was able to rack up a record of 11 wins and 6 losses during his stint in the UFC.

Joe Rogan talks about Yoel Romero having his neck fused

During a recent episode of the ‘JRE MMA Show’, former UFC and current BKFC fighter, Mike Perry, joined Joe Rogan. The million-dollar podcast host brought up Yoel Romero’s neck. Rogan mentioned that ‘Soldier of God’ ruptured the discs on his neck, leading him to get his neck fused by surgery. He said, “Yoel Romero, he has his neck fused. He had an operation where, like, he’s disc was so f***ed up that they had to fuse the discs in his neck.” Joe Rogan added, “They had to fuse the spinal columns.”

The 55-year-old then mentioned a video of Romero running. The thing that stunned Joe Rogan about the running video was that, after surgery, the former UFC fighter’s head remained unmoved and still. He said, “There’s a video of him running and his neck doesn’t move because it’s, like, fused.” Moreover, there was a point when Romero was worried regarding his neck injury.

‘Soldier of God’ thought he might die

Joe Rogan recalled how Yoel Romero felt going into his neck surgery. ‘Soldier of God’ thought that his neck injury could prove to be fatal for him. It was one of his most frightening experiences. Rogan said, “I think he said that it was the most frightening time of his life because he was worried that he was gonna die.”

However, things turned out for the better. Yoel Romero remained the natural athlete that he is even after having an unmovable neck. It baffled Joe Rogan to see Romero do the same things with the same athleticism even after the surgery. “His athleticism is insane, and he’s doing all this athleticism with a frozen neck,” said the 55-year-old.

READ MORE: “Looked Like a Punching Bag”: 46-Year-Old Yoel Romero’s Loss Against Fedor Emelianenko’s Protege at Bellator 297 Has Fans Demanding Ex-UFC Star’s Retirement

Even though Romero was frightened about his neck surgery, it really didn’t affect his professional career as much. He is 46 years old now and continues to compete at the highest level in Bellator. He recently competed for that promotion’s light heavyweight title but lost to Vadim Nemkov. We will have to wait and see when he decided to stop.

WATCH THIS STORY: Francis Ngannou joins PFL- Take a look at the deadliest finishes by the former UFC champ