At UFC 331 weigh-ins, Joe Rogan bluntly called Joshua Van’s previous win over Alexandre Pantoja “accidental,” a remark the flyweight champ found a little harsh. The Burmese-American pushed back immediately, insisting his UFC 323 win over the legendary Brazilian wasn’t a stroke of luck. Clearly, Rogan’s words got under his skin, and Van didn’t shy away from admitting that.

After beating Pantoja in their rematch at UFC 331 via unanimous decision in California, Van appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show, where he reflected on how Joe Rogan’s comments had affected him

“I ain’t even gonna lie, man. A little bit,” Van admitted. “You know, it was kinda f—ed up that he said that, but you know, much love to Joe Rogan. You know what it is, man.  To be honest, I don’t really give a f—k what other people say, but Joe Rogan is somebody that I look up to. And for him to say that, you know, it kinda like, damn.” 

At the UFC 323 co-main event, Alexandre Pantoja suffered a freak accident that ended the fight in just 26 seconds of the opening round. After Van caught Pantoja’s head kick, the Brazilian crash-landed on the canvas and broke his elbow. Given that, Rogan wasn’t too far off base calling it an “accident,” as many others who watched the fight did as well. Still, it’s also understandable why Van adamantly believes otherwise. 

The reigning flyweight champion has always maintained that it was his defense against Pantoja’s kick that ultimately decided the outcome of their first fight. Because of this, the 24-year-old was rattled by Joe Rogan labeling his win “accidental” ahead of a fight, a characterization that clashed with his own perception of how that bout turned out.

Even after soundly defeating ‘The Cannibal’ in the rematch, Van opened his Octagon interview with Joe Rogan by addressing the doubters directly. 

“A lot of people say that was an accident win the first time,” Van said. “Now, doubt me now. Shout out to Pantoja. Nothing but respect for me. He’s a tough man. He’s hard to finish. 

Van’s post-fight speech further proves that he doesn’t view his first victory over Pantoja as a fluke. But even though Rogan’s comments stung, the flyweight champion made it clear the color commentator doesn’t owe him an apology. 

“Nah. He doesn’t have to. It just, I just let him know how I feel, you know?” Van added.  

Despite Van clearly being affected by Rogan’s comments, it’s safe to say he doesn’t hold any hard feelings toward the longtime color commentator. However, the Burmese-American isn’t the only fighter Rogan has stung with his remarks. The 59-year-old has previously upset a former champion with his take as well. 

Jan Blachowicz called out Joe Rogan over his comments on the Magomed Ankalaev title fight 

In 2022, Jan Blachowicz fought Magomed Ankalaev for the vacant light heavyweight belt at the main event of UFC 282. After five rounds of competitive clash, the judges couldn’t decide on a clear winner. So, they ruled the fight as a draw. However, Joe Rogan was pretty sure that Ankalaev did enough to win the fight. 

The commentator expressed that during the Octagon interview with the Polish, which he found a little disrespectful, and he believes he made a mistake. 

“Joe Rogan, when he stepped into the octagon, he said for him I lost the fight,” Blachowicz told MMA Fighting. “That was what I was thinking. He made a mistake that he say something like this to me after the fight. Because everybody who thinks that I lost the fight watches only the last round.”  

Blachowicz was clearly not on board with Joe Rogan’s take that Ankalaev won the fight. Interestingly, though, the former light heavyweight champion himself initially said the UFC should award the belt to the Dagestani, recognizing that Ankalaev had done enough to win, before later walking back those comments. 

That said, fighters mostly try to tune out the noise surrounding their bouts. But both Blachowicz and Van speaking up about Rogan’s remarks on different occasions shows just how much weight the 59-year-old commentator’s words carry.