Joe Rogan Names Daniel Cormier in Honest Confession on Glaring Gaps in MMA Knowledge

It’s been more than three decades since Joe Rogan first stepped into the UFC spotlight, carving out his place as the “voice of MMA.” For Rogan, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu isn’t just a martial art, it’s a compass for life. The longtime UFC commentator and podcast host has spent years on the mats, discovering lessons far beyond self-defense and physical fitness. To him, training jiu-jitsu is as much about discipline, humility, and problem-solving as it is about combat. And if you’re someone who trains jiu-jitsu? In Rogan’s eyes, that’s an instant green flag.

On the flip side, Daniel Cormier’s legacy was built on wrestling and his decorated run inside the Octagon. Now 46 and retired, the former two-division UFC champion enjoys the well-earned quiet life outside the cage. But when it comes to commentary, the contrast between Rogan and Cormier is clear. Joe Rogan has his blind spots in wrestling, and Cormier has his own in jiu-jitsu. However, what sets Rogan apart, though, is his willingness to admit those gaps, even poking fun at himself before pointing out when Cormier misses a detail on the ground game. So what did he say?

Joe Rogan schools Daniel Cormier live at UFC 319 broadcast

Just a few days ago, Joe Rogan sat down for another episode of his PowerfulJRE YouTube channel, hosting comedian, political commentator, and podcast personality Dave Smith. On The Joe Rogan Experience #2370, Joe Rogan made a candid admission about his own gaps in martial arts knowledge. “I don’t know sh-t about judo,” Joe Rogan confessed. “I know how to do a few hip tosses, but when someone is doing something, I don’t even know what it’s called.” He went further, admitting that even the basics sometimes leave him uncertain: “If I go Harai Goshi, I might get it wrong. Because Harai Goshi might be legs on the outside versus leg on the outside. Wrestling, I got to defer to DC. So even in martial arts, I’m not totally an expert.”

Dave Smith backed him up, pointing out that even the most decorated athletes can make mistakes when analyzing MMA. “Yeah, and then there might be somebody who is like totally an expert, like say a wrestler who went to the Olympics and was a total expert or a coach or something like that, total expert in wrestling, and they could still get something about MMA completely off. Or Jiu-jitsu,” Smith explained, stressing that no one commentator can be flawless when it comes to the wide variety of disciplines inside the Octagon.

Rogan then recalled a recent moment on a UFC broadcast when Daniel Cormier missed a dangerous submission in real time. “Jiu-jitsu happened in the last fight in the last UFC card. Daniel Cormier didn’t know about the Dead Orchard. So he thought this person was fine because they had two arms while they were caught in a triangle. I go, ‘No, this is a real submission. This is f—ing dangerous.’” Rogan said. In case you already didn’t know, he was talking about the Karine Silva fight, who caught Dione Barbosa in the Dead Orchard during their UFC 319 fight, locking in the rare triangle submission variation.

Joe Rogan further added that moves like the Dead Orchard or the buggy choke often confuse commentators who aren’t deeply familiar with jiu-jitsu. “I think it was a lady at the last UFC had it. And I was like, ‘Oh sh-t.’ And then you didn’t know it yet. There is a couple other things like the buggy choke. If you don’t know about jiu-jitsu, and he is getting smaller, but all of a sudden he reaches under with his leg, and I am going, ‘Oh oh oh,’ and you don’t know what’s going on, like it’s a f—king choke. Like a really dangerous one,” Rogan emphasized. While Joe Rogan was critical of Cormier’s slip-up on commentary, it’s worth noting that Rogan himself has faced similar backlash earlier.

Joe Rogan proves even the “Voice of MMA” gets it wrong sometimes

A growing chorus of fans believes Joe Rogan’s commentary has lost some of its edge, becoming inconsistent, and at times, even biased. The Instagram page, Weird MMA, a few months ago, revisited UFC 259’s light heavyweight title fight between Israel Adesanya and Jan Blachowicz to underscore that point. They highlighted how Rogan’s commentary seemed to lean heavily toward Adesanya, painting a picture that he was winning the first three rounds while giving little to no credit to Blachowicz’s success in the cage.

The reality, of course, told a different story. Blachowicz dominated down the stretch and walked away with a decisive unanimous decision victory, earning scorecards of 49-46, 49-46, and 49-45. Critics have also pointed to UFC 264 as another example, when Ilia Topuria fought Ryan Hall. In case you don’t remember, throughout that matchup, Hall repeatedly attempted, and failed, to land his signature Imanari rolls. Yet Rogan continued praising Hall’s skill set on-air, even as those same failed attempts created the very opening Topuria needed to secure a knockout finish.

Moments like these have fueled the debate about the 58-year-old’s current place in the broadcast booth, with some fans questioning whether he’s still fully in tune with the action unfolding in real time. Still, despite the criticism, Joe Rogan hasn’t wavered in his commitment. For him, this is the dream job, and at 58, he continues to bring his trademark passion and personality to UFC broadcasts. That said, what are your thoughts on Joe Rogan’s commentary? And do you think the 58-year-old should retire?