“It’s Just an Ego” – Joe Rogan Opens Up on MMA’s “Unfortunate” Problem Plaguing Fighter’s Careers Since Early UFC Days

Since 1997, Joe Rogan has been intricately associated with the UFC, marking a remarkable journey that spans over three decades. As a seasoned UFC commentator, Rogan possesses an unparalleled depth of knowledge and insight into the evolution of the promotion. What sets Rogan apart is not just his ability to observe and analyze the visual spectacle of mixed martial arts, but also his profound understanding of the inner workings of the sport. No doubt he is able to spot faults that plague the sport.

Now he has drawn attention to a significant issue that bothered fighters in the early days of the UFC—an issue rooted in their own insecurities.

Joe Rogan didn’t like fighters holding expertise in a single discipline

During a new episode of JRE MMA Show #193, Joe Rogan engaged in a profound conversation with the former UFC heavyweight champion, Bas Rutten. The duo explored a critical aspect: the tendency of fighters to train exclusively in one discipline, limiting their potential as well-rounded combatants.

Expressing his thoughts on the matter, Rogan lamented, “It’s unfortunate that some of these guys who are mentally tough, they are great fighters, but they just have this one place that if you take them there, they’ll crack.”

Reflecting on the early days of the UFC, Rogan further elaborated, “There was always an issue in the early days of the UFC where those guys were the elite strikers, they just didn’t wanna roll.”

He shed light on the prevalent scenario where elite strikers hesitated to engage in grappling and ground fighting. Their fear stemmed from the realization that once the fight hit the ground, their dominance waned. Diving deeper into this phenomenon, the 55-year-old commentator remarked, “Because when they roll they would get dominated. But when they strike with people, they would dominate them… It’s just an ego.”

Read more: Decades Later, Joe Rogan Opens Up About ‘Challenging Things’ at UFC During Initial Commentating Days

Even today, this trend persists in the UFC, where many fighters excel in a single discipline, only to find themselves in a precarious position when faced with opponents who bring diverse styles from different domains.

What else about early UFC annoyed Rogan?

In an older JRE conversation (#1950), the UFC commentator shared how there were no weight classes which often led to bad matchmaking. There were incredible size differences between fighters leading to perilous grounds. He discussed the classic example of Hackney versus Yarbrough. While Hackney won the fight despite being much smaller than his sumo wrestler opponent, the win wasn’t an easy one.

Since then, the promotion has come a long way and rules have been introduced. Do you agree with Rogan’s stance?

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