Getty Conor McGregor speaks with Joe Rogan during a ceremonial weigh in for UFC 264.
Popular podcaster and UFC commentator Joe Rogan didn’t seem happy with some of the MMA fans who were in attendance at UFC 264: Poirier vs. McGregor 3 on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. When folks started booing the undercard action between featherweight contenders Ryan Hall and Ilia Topuria, Rogan became irritated enough with that group to label those expressing their displeasure as “unschooled mouthbreathers”.
Rogan was calling the action alongside ESPN’s Jon Anik and Daniel Cormier. He was in the middle of praising Hall for his wildly unorthodox fighting technique, which mainly consists of the fighter trying to roll himself into better grappling positions so he could use his expert Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills to submit his opponent when he made the stunning remark.
“Look at him! His hands are down. He makes it look like he’s so casual. It looks like he’s almost playing. You know? He’s so comfortable in there, and the audience, the unschooled mouthbreathers amongst us, they’re going to start booing and screaming about this guy,” Rogan said.
Hall’s technique had helped him win eight fights in a row before UFC 264, but Topuria eventually stuffed one of those rolls and knocked him out on the ground.
You can watch that moment below.
All @Topuriailia needed was an opening 💥
Stream #UFC264 on @ESPNPlus ➡️ t.co/m1HK2qwiEF
While Hall is considered one of the best jiu-jitsu practitioners in MMA, Topuria used his own black belt skills on the ground to stay out of trouble and the rest was accomplished via his better overall skills in other areas.
Still, the comments Rogan made while calling the action about some of the MMA fans in attendance at UFC 264: Poirier vs. McGregor 3 might have ended up overshadowing the biggest win of Topuria’s career.
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Social Media Media Reacts to Rogan
Topuria improved to 11-0, and Hall fell to 9-2.
But Rogan also seems to have taken a bit of a loss, at least among some fans on social media, for letting the seemingly harsh critique come out of his mouth live on air on ESPN ahead of what’s probably going to be the best-selling UFC pay-per-view event of the year.
One fan posted about Rogan handing himself the intellectual high ground on the issue of technique only to see the fighter he was praising get stopped less than a minute later in the fight.
Rachel from “Real Talk with Kelsey and Rachel” posted, “‘Seems a bit harsh Rogan”.
She also said, “I know how it is to have words come out of my mouth that feed my need to feel superior to others. It happens.”
I know how it is to have words come out of my mouth that feed my need to feel superior to others. It happens.
Finally, another combats sports fan pulled Cormier into the mix. He posted, “Cormier and Rogan totally embarrassing during the Topuria-Hall fight. Ignoring everything Ilia was successful with until Hall was unconscious. Then Rogan says ‘very interesting.'”
Cormier and Rogan totally embarrassing during the Topuria-Hall fight. Ignoring everything Ilia was successful with until Hall was unconscious. Then Rogan says “very interesting”. #UFC264
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Rough Night for Rogan at UFC 264
Rogan is considered one of the best at what he does, and in many ways, his name and face have become synonymous with the UFC.
But even he can mess up sometimes, or so it seems from the harsh criticism he dished out about the fans at UFC 264.
Still, it was probably those fight fans he berated at UFC 264 who might actually have taken the hardest hit.
MMA is a sport that mixes many different disciplines into one amazing spectacle. That some people prefer striking battles over grappling matches is nothing new in the sport, and fans are sure to continue liking different parts of the game for years to come.
Rogan would probably agree people should be able to express themselves, and that’s especially true for those who shell out the big bucks to watch the sport’s biggest superstar fight live in Las Vegas.
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Twitter: @Kelsey_McCarson
YouTube: Real Talk with Kelsey and Rachel