Joe Rogan has been a part of several historic moments in the UFC. For over two decades, the BJJ black belt has been a constant presence in the promotion. He has witnessed the company’s ups and down since its purchase by Zuffa in 2001. The 55-year-old has also seen many stars rise through the ranks and create history but one of them stands out from the rest for Rogan.

Over the 30-year history of the promotion, there have been many champions that have come and gone. However, only a select few have made impacts that catapulted the sport and elevated it to new heights. For the modern-day audience, it will be the likes of Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey. But for Rogan, one former UFC champion was responsible for maintaining and elevating the UFC’s status in its early days, and that was Chuck Liddell.

During episode #1982 of ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ Rogan hosted John Hennessey, CEO of Hennessey Performance Engineering, Hennessey Special Vehicles, and Turner School. He told Hennessey about the impact that ‘The Iceman’ had during his days in the UFC.

Joe Rogan on Chuck Liddell’s impact in growing the UFC

Joe Rogan started off by talking about the early stages of the UFC when they struggled with viewership. He said that even after four years of purchasing the UFC, Dana White and the Ferttitas struggled to make profits. Ultimately, it was ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ that captured the audience’s attention. Rogan also mentioned the legendary bout between the late Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin.

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He said, “Stephan Bonnar… and Forrest Griffin had the most insane fight in the finals of The Ultimate Fighter. And people were just calling friends up…. because the viewership skyrocketed during the fight and that fight made the UFC.  That fight made the sport. That fight made the UFC.”

However, the promotion needed stars to maintain the momentum from TUF. That is where Liddell came in. Rogan continued, “When Chuck Liddell was the champion Chuck Liddell was so f***ing terrifying. He was this do-or-die berserker. He would just come at you just swinging bombs taking one on the chin and knock dudes out.”

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The former Fear Factor host added, “His fights were wild. He was the real reason why the UFC become uber popular because you would watch the ultimate fighter and it was a wild fight, a great fight. But then you need a destroyer and that destroyer was Chuck Liddell. When Chuck Liddell was at the top, he was just merking people… He was an exceptional champion.”

‘The Iceman’ was a light heavyweight champion in the UFC. He also had one of the most memorable rivalries with Tito Ortiz. He also inspired many future superstars like McGregor.

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Do you agree with Rogan’s take on Chuck Liddell? What is your favorite Liddell fight? Let us know in the comments.