https://www.mmaweekly.com/news/what-does-joe-rogan-think-of-bare-knuckle-fighting
Joe Rogan is never afraid to voice his opinion and he did exactly that when asked about bare-knuckle fighting’s rise to fame.
Since rising to popularity, bare-knuckle has divided opinion with fight fans. While there are countless who believe the cons outweigh the pros when talking about bare-knuckle, one major figure who is all in favor of the combat sport—whether that be the boxing or the mixed martial arts side of it—is Joe Rogan.
Having helped the UFC grow into the powerhouse it is today, the global podcaster isn’t just a passionate supporter of fighting, but he is also a trained athlete. Rogan is a life-long fan of fighting who has tried his hand at multiple forms of combat throughout his life, giving him a deeper understanding of the entertainment aspect of combat.
During an episode of his popular Joe Rogan Experience podcast, the color commentator discussed with guest Eddie Bravo why he is high on bare-knuckle fighting. Using Jorge Masvidal’s ‘Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA’ as an example, the host shared his love for this style of competing.
“I love it. I love what Jorge Masvidal’s doing, that bare-knuckle MMA fights. I love it because that’s what I think MMA should have been all along.” Insisted Rogan. “Why can you have bare elbows? Why can you have bare knees? Bare shins. A shin to the face is okay, but you have to protect your knuckles. The only thing that does is prevent cuts. And one thing it also does is protect your hands. Because you can’t really go off like you can with, like, bare-knuckle guys are, they’re more cautious about where they hit. They’re more precise. They break their hands. Well, a lot of people that go over to bare-knuckle are surprised at how little protection you have and how much it hurts. That’s where Mike Perry f***ing shines.”
As of now, Mike Perry is considered the poster boy for bare-knuckle boxing and has made a huge splash in that side of the sport since leaving the UFC. While on the topic of the ‘savage’, Joe Rogan had nothing but positive things to say about ‘Platinum’ and his transition over to the BKFC.
“[He’s] killing it. Killing it. Fed up Luke Rockhold in his last fight, made him quit. Knocked his teeth out. Luke’s like, ‘Enough’. He’s fing everybody up because he’s such an animal… There’s not a tougher human being alive than Mike Perry. He’s like uniquely suited for bare-knuckle fighting because he’s just such a f***ing savage. He’s willing to kill or be killed. Like, legitimately. He has no fear. He goes in there, kill or be killed. And he’s good, man. He knows how to fight bare-knuckle. He’s clever.”
Eddie Bravo later questioned whether any current UFC fighter would make a good bare-knuckle competitor in the future, but Rogan stated just how dangerous the sport is and how different MMA is from it.
“Chris Camozzi just fought. He just fought that dude, ‘The Juggernaut,’ who is the, I believe, the middleweight champion in Bare Knuckle FC. And ‘The Juggernaut’ beat him. The thing about it is, man, it’s different. It’s just different when you’re just getting knuckles in your eyeballs and knuckles in your face, it fing hurts more. It’s more dangerous. You’re losing teeth. You get hit with a knuckle right there, that tooth’s gone… [Mouthguards] it helps a little. But really, you’d probably need a crazy thick mouthguard. You’d probably need something different. But even then, it’s knuckles. You’re getting that bone of a bony-a knuckle, and it’s going right there. It’s going to f** your teeth up, man.”
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