Ever wonder what it feels like to take a hit that makes your whole body shut down? Headshots in the UFC have been responsible for some of the most memorable moments inside the Octagon like Leon Edwards flatlining Kamaru Usman at UFC 278 in 2022. But getting hit in the body is an entirely different ordeal. During their recent chat, Joe Rogan and Andrew Huberman focused on one of the most feared strikes in fighting: the liver shot.
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You’ve seen it happen in the Octagon—a fighter takes a hit to the body, and after a brief moment, they’re down and out. But why does this specific blow have such a dramatic effect? Joe Rogan, drawing from his extensive experience in martial arts, provided an interesting look at what happens when fighters target that specific area in a fight!
Joe Rogan reveals the terrifying ordeal of getting hit in the liver in a fight
On the JRE episode no. 2195, neuroscientist Andrew Huberman brought up an interesting fact. He pointed out that the flood of adrenaline experienced by fighters acts as a “painkiller” and referred to Joe Rogan’s fighting experience as he stated, “You’ve been hit hard before, isn’t it amazing how little it hurts when it happens and how much it hurts later. ”
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A US Open Champion in taekwondo and with a lot of experience in kickboxing, Rogan explained that when you’re in a fight, pain takes a backseat even if, “your shins are getting battered, things getting hurt, you don’t really feel much.”
The exception to the rule is if you get hit in the liver. The podcast host pointed out, “When you get hit like right here (points to his liver), kicked or punched right here, it’s a crazy feeling. It just shuts everything off, it’s real weird. Your body just shuts off.” Huberman added a vivid image to the discussion by revealing that he’s seen fights where a fighter takes a blow to the liver and, “…it looks like they melt.”
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 08: Joe Rogan announces the fight during the UFC 290 event at T-Mobile Arena on July 08, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Like a ticking time bomb, a liver shot is very different than getting hit in the stomach Rogan further explained. He further conveyed, “But the liver is the opposite, the liver you get hit and then there’s like a sharp pain and a delay and then everything just shuts off.”
The UFC color commentator who has seen countless fights also noted that when a fighter gets hit in the liver, they almost instinctively drop their right arm to protect the injured area. This reaction is something even seasoned viewers can spot—a silent acknowledgment of the power of that one, well-placed hit. But there was one time in the UFC Octagon where a fighter managed to pull out a victory from the jaws of defeat after it seemed like a liver shot had ended the fight. What’s more, Joe Rogan was on commentary duty for that bout!
Rogan and Dana White were left stunned after the TUF 4 finale saw an impossible comeback
On November 11, 2006, Scott Smith faced off against Pete Sell in the TUF 4 (The Ultimate Fighter) finale and the fight ended in one of the most spectacular ways possible. UFC boss Dana White also shared the video on his Instagram account with the caption, “One of the craziest things I have ever seen in a fight”. So what happened?
The two men went to war with heavy shots being thrown from either side. But Sell managed to land a pin-point left hook to Smith’s body leaving him visibly hurt and hunched over holding his liver. But just as it looked like the fight was over, Sell charged in to finish the job and ran into a thunderous right hand that dropped him to the floor. The referee then stopped the fight but the winner, Smith, rolled over onto the floor seemingly out of it completely. Rogan on commentary exclaimed, “That is unbelievable!” and indeed it was.
To wrap things up, the conversation between Joe Rogan and Andrew Huberman highlights the fact that liver shots are one of the most devastating strikes in a fight, acting like a ticking time bomb that can end a fight in an instant. Unless you’re Scott Smith!
What are some of your favorite body shot knockouts in the UFC? Let us know in the comments below!
Written by
Edited by
Joyita Das