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25-year-old Zion Clark‘s MMA debut received commendations from several prominent MMA figures, including Joe Rogan. Although he was born with no legs, Clark worked his way to become an All-American D1 wrestler before he transitioned to MMA. Now, he has the attention of longtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan, who praised Clark’s resilience and offered insights on how to fight the Ohio native.

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In episode #1915 of The Joe Rogan Experience, the 55-year-old hosted comedian Brian Simpson. The pair started off their conversation by discussing Clark’s MMA debut.

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Notably, former UFC double champion Conor McGregor also congratulated Clark following his debut. The Irishman, like Rogan, gave his thoughts on Clark’s game, and how to fight him.

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Joe Rogan impressed by Zion Clark

As soon as Simpson brought up Zion Clark, Rogan expressed his admiration for the athlete and his skills. He said, “Dude, incredible… How fast he closes the distance with no legs.”

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The BJJ black belt also highlighted the D1 wrestler’s attributes and admired his courage for not letting his disability hold him back. Rogan pointed out how Clark’s upper body was “insanely strong for someone at that weight class.”

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Congratulating him further, Rogan said, “…first of all, nothing but props for the guy. No excuses. Guy’s amazing. And just the f***ing amount of courage that it takes to even train and become an elite wrestler, and then become an MMA fighter, all with no legs? Incredible!”

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Then, when Simpson asked Rogan’s expert opinion on fighting a guy like Clark, the former ‘Fear Factor’ host explained how to proceed on that end. Simpson’s fundamental question was if Clark was a downed opponent by default. If it were the case, then kicking him would not be an option.

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The experienced Rogan had a few different answers to that question.

Rogan’s take on how to fight Clark

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According to Rogan, Clark is not immune to body kicks. The UFC commentator explained that one could kick Clark to the body, or worse yet, on his arms. He said, “No one’s saying there’s an advantage. But, one thing that he’s able to do. [I] mean, you don’t have legs to control. So, like, your game is different.”

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Rogan also highlighted the disadvantage of fighting Clark on the feet- “In the stand-up game, you know, punches, like, if you’re punching a guy that’s down like that and is literally at the hips like you have to, like, bend your knees down and try to punch him…”

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However, Rogan’s idea of kicking Clark’s arm comes with a moral dilemma. He said, “If you leg kick that guy in his arm and break his arm, that’s f***ed up. Now he can’t even get around.”

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What do you think about Rogan’s comments on how to fight Zion Clark? Would you take his approach or McGregor’s? Let us know in the comments below.

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Yeswanth Praveen

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As Senior Editor of EssentiallySports’ UFC division, Yeswanth Praveen brings firsthand experience to our combat vertical. A competitive boxer since his college days, he still trains four times a week, keeping his connection to the sport sharp. An Know more

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Rohini Kottu

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