“I’m happy they made money. I’ll leave it at that,” said Joe Rogan on his podcast on January 29. More than 60 days passed since the Jake Paul and Mike Tyson match, and surely over 6000 pages have been written about the fight (or the lack of it). But even after two months—like many—Rogan was frustrated. Even though at that time, he tried to be diplomatic, tiptoeing between lashing out at the fight and being politically correct—this time around, the 57-year-old was more honest. 

Recently, Rogan sat for a chat with Peter Berg, writer, director, and producer, whose upcoming series, American Primeval, will be released on Netflix. While chatting about Jake Paul’s rumored fight with Canelo Alvarez, they briefly touched on the Tyson-Paul fight. Berg, who directed blockbuster action thrillers like Mile 22, Lone Survivor, and others, asked Rogan if the fight was staged.

As Berg explained, it appeared Tyson was pulling his punches. Notably, Jake Paul landed 78 of his 278 attempted punches, while Tyson barely managed to land 18 of his 97 attempts. The filmmaker said, “Are the fights even real, like, the Tyson [vs Jake Paul] fight. Like I said video breakdowns of Tyson not throwing punches early on in that fight. A left hook is 100% available. Tyson, you know, in training—99% of time, releases that punch, and he held [back]. Like, do you think that was a real—was that a  real flight?” A loaded question. 

But, Rogan had his answer ready: “It looked like sparring to me.”, before adding, “I wouldn’t wanna speculate ’cause I haven’t talked to anybody about it. But my educated assessment? Yes, it looked like sparring; it didn’t look like a fight.”

This was an exact echo of what he said in January: “I think it looked like sparring, to me. It didn’t look like anybody was trying to hurt anybody, really, which is good. Whatever, you draw your own conclusions… I was hoping it was going to be a real fight, but I was like, ‘Okay, I see what’s going on.’” 

While Peter Berg made the observation that it was Tyson who was pulling his punches, Jake Paul admitted that it was he who was pulling back and carrying Tyson through the fight. He said during the post-fight press conference, “You know, I wanted to give the fans a show, but I didn’t want to hurt someone that didn’t need to be hurt.” Upon being asked whether he carried Tyson in the fight, ‘The Problem Child’ replied, “Yeah, I mean, a little bit.”

As for Rogan, the disappointment was clearly visible on his face. He never hid his admiration for Mike Tyson. Neither has he ever disparaged Jake Paul. Nevertheless, Rogan also went on record to say that he would rather not have these two fight each other. His comments from last year actually give away why Rogan was a bit miffed and quite disappointed after the fight.

Why Joe Rogan was against the Jake Paul – Mike Tyson fight

When Mike Tyson agreed to a bout against Jake Paul, not everyone was convinced. Rogan, an ardent admirer, understood the choice. In his podcast, he tried to rationalize it—perhaps Tyson wanted one more shot at fighting… perhaps, he thought his body would permit that.

But actually, Joe Rogan wished it hadn’t come to this. Speaking on his podcast in September, the 57-year-old said, “I wish he didn’t do it. I wish it wasn’t a thing. I wish it wasn’t a thing where a 58-year-old guy was going to fight a 28-year-old.”

Rogan even added, “He looks great on the mitts, but I can look good on the mitts, especially if you’re watching 30-second clips.” And that’s the thing, right? Just because you look good in training or sparring, doesn’t mean it will necessarily translate in a real contest. This is especially true for an aging veteran with clear health problems, like Mike Tyson.

Rogan’s concern stemmed from Tyson’s physical condition. The legendary boxer was supposed to fight in July but had to postpone because of an ulcer flare-up. Eventually, the fight did happen, and it did put a dent in his reputation. And Joe Rogan is still left with the bitter aftertaste of that.

What do you think of the contest? Do you think either Mike Tyson or Jake Paul were pulling their punches, and the fight was rigged? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.