‘Because of My Love of Baseball’- UFC Commentator Joe Rogan on How a Trip to Fenway Park Made Him Fall in Love With Martial Arts

Joseph James Rogan, AKA Joe Rogan, does not need any introduction. Even though he does not play the sport, Rogan is a popular figure in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The ace commentator has made it big in the martial arts community without even playing the game.

Many people might know, but Joe Rogan’s first love is still baseball. And if he is making it big in the UFC, it is only because of baseball. Even Joe Rogan himself admitted the same in his recent podcast with Shane Gillis, Mark Normand, and Ari Shaffir.

Joe Rogan is a man of many talents. A comedian, actor, television presenter, and an ace commentator of the game, Rogan’s podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” has been a game-changer for him. Because, on this platform, he has the freedom to discuss anything, whether it is UFC, baseball, politics, or even science.

Joe Rogan on how baseball brought him into UFC

In the recent podcast with stand-up comedians Shane Gillis, Mark Normand, and Ari Shaffir, Joe Rogan revealed how baseball brought him into the UFC. The UFC commentator also revealed that back then, he used to play baseball.

During his younger days, Rogan and his friend went to a baseball game at Fenway Park. But when they were leaving Fenway Park, Rogan walked into a karate school. And what happened there changed his life.

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“I played a little bit of baseball and then, leaving a baseball game, I really got into martial arts. I was leaving Fenway Park and I was walking out like we were bored. And it took longer to get on the tee…,” Rogan said. “Me and my friend Jimmy were like 14 and walked up the street. There was a karate school…. I went up the stairs. And right when I was going up the stairs, there is this guy named John Lee.”

Rogan said he saw a national champion training at his peak for the World Cup. Watching him train shifted Rogan’s focus from baseball to martial arts.

“He was a national champion who is training for the World Cup… I walked in like it’s a peak of his training, at the top of his game… I got to see what he could do is like holy f**k, I want to do that…,” Rogan added. “I remember just being flabbergasted because my love of baseball brought me into martial arts.”

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If Joe Rogan is in the UFC, it is only because of baseball. Had Rogan not gone to that karate school, he might not be as famous as he is now.