After Branding Boxing as “A Dying Breed”, Joe Rogan Gives a Rare Praise to the Sport in Front of Tank Abbott – “Doesn’t Mean UFC Is Not Better”

Boxing has been the biggest combat sport for almost the last couple of decades. The sport has numerous superstars, from Muhammad Ali to Gervonta Davis, who have had a significant impact on boxing’s rise to the mainstream. UFC commentator Joe Rogan, too, loves boxing. However, there is one thing that he may not be a fan of, and it’s the limited nature of the sport.

Like Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo, boxing vs MMA is also a big debate in the sporting world. Joe Rogan brought up that debate during a recent JRE MMA Show episode, with Tank Abbott, a former one-time UFC heavyweight title challenger, as the guest, and reiterated the difference between the two sports.

Joe Rogan loves boxing but there’s a catch

Yes, like most combat sports enthusiasts, Joe Rogan also has an affinity for boxing. He is fully certain that this is one of the biggest sports, which rakes in millions and millions in revenue, and some of its stars earn way more than the MMA fighters do, but guess what? When it comes to complete action and entertainment, there’s none better than the UFC, according to the longtime commentator.

“Boxing’s awesome. I love boxing. [it] doesn’t mean UFC’s not better,” Joe Rogan told Tank Abbott. He’d further mention the most major aspect that sets MMA and boxing apart was that MMA was a much broader concept of fighting than the one inside the squared circle. “Boxing is an amazing skill… and it’s a huge part of MMA. I mean, if you can’t throw a punch, you really can’t win.”

The 56-year-old would also claim that things don’t get as real as an MMA fight. Why? Because boxing, as we’ve mentioned already, is very limited. “It’s a different thing… It’s a fighting game whereas MMA is a fight. Boxing can be a fight, too. But… the rules are so specific, so limited,” Joe Rogan added.

Joe Rogan, almost a couple of decades ago, was involved in the fight to defend MMA at a time when the sport was seen as “human cockfighting.” He’d once made his way to an ESPN show, where he’d get into an intense debate with boxing promoter, Lou DiBella. While the boxing promoter was taking shot after shots at the UFC, a visibly irritated Rogan would say, “You guys are a dying breed… Your sport is getting swallowed by a greater, more” efficient, more spectacular sport.” 

Interestingly, Joe Rogan even explained the ineffective nature of boxing, especially in an uncontrolled environment like a street fight.

Rogan’s take on boxing being ineffective in a street fight

In an earlier episode of his multi-million-dollar podcast, Joe Rogan would first explain how MMA fighters would attack someone in a street fight – kicks, elbows, grappling maneuvers, and whatnot. The 56-year-old believes there will be no chance for the person on the receiving end of those blows to even take a breath before he gets destroyed. On the other hand, as good as any world-class boxer is, Rogan doesn’t think they even stand a chance.

“No one has a chance [in a street fight] that hasn’t had a long history of grappling and getting kicked. It’s like, you’re a regular boxer, especially the best ever like Floyd [Mayweather], is phenomenal at what he does. But if you put takedowns and kicks into that, it changes everything,” Joe Rogan stated. It sure is a thought-provoking argument, to say the least.

What do you think of Joe Rogan’s comments about boxing vs. MMA? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.