Home/UFC

Joe Rogan has a well-accounted background in martial arts. He has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and also has experience in karate. Meanwhile, former UFC star and champion Vitor Belfort recently claimed that he trained Rogan back in the day. As such, he also stated that the 56-year-old was a great martial artist who never competed in MMA fights.

Vitor Belfort was one of the biggest names in the UC during his time in the promotion. He is a former light heavyweight champion and was also the winner of the UFC 12 Heavyweight Tournament Championship. Meanwhile, he recently made a revelation about his past with UFC color commentator Joe Rogan. Let’s see what he had to say.

Vitor Belfort used to train Joe Rogan

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

‘The Phenom’ recently made an appearance on the ‘Jaxxon Podcast’, where he mentioned his relationship with UFC mainstay Joe Rogan. He claimed to have trained the commentator-cum-podcast host back in the day. Vitor Belfort said, “Joe Rogan was my student.” He also mentioned that the duo first met each other when Rogan was a white belt and had just moved to Hollywood, California. “He was a white belt, so he just moved to LA to Hollywood. We had a Carlson Gracie gym in West Hollywood and he was training there. I was teaching him,” said Belfort.

He also shared some words of praise for Joe Rogan. The former UFC champion stated that Rogan was as humble as anyone he’s ever met. He also commended his urge to learn jiu-jitsu and never gave up on trying to achieve that. Belfort added, “So Joey was so humble. He wants to learn. Vert authentic. He loves to learn [and] he used to be there and try.” He further mentioned that Rogan could have competed as a professional as well.

Belfort claims that the UFC commentator is the greatest martial artist to never compete

Joe Rogan has an extensive background in martial arts and has a lot of love for the sport of MMA. As such, there is no reason why he could not compete as a professional fighter. Similarly, Vitor Belfort mentioned that Rogan had a lot of interest in learning martial arts, claiming that he’s one of the greatest to have never competed in MMA fights. He said, “He’s so into it [and] he’s almost like a great martial artist. He is a great martial artist who never fought.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

via Getty

Moreover, when it comes to MMA becoming a bigger sport than it used to be in the modern era, Belfort believes that Joe Rogan has played a similar role to Dana White in terms of elevating the sport to the mainstream. “He’s the second Dana White [in terms of Rogan promoting MMA]. And we debuted the same day [in the UFC], me and him.”

Read more: “Truth Bombs About ONE” – Chatri Sityodtong Shares Montage of Joe Rogan Heaping Praise on ONE Championship

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Joe Rogan is certainly one of the most influential personalities with the fame he earned from his million-dollar podcast. But that influence also stretches to the world of MMA. It is apparent that many MMA fighters from the past and present have a lot of respect for Rogan and his contributions to the sport. However, we will never know how good he could have been if he competed professionally.

Watch This Story: Joe Rogan’s Body Transformation