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via Imago

via Imago

Joe Rogan is a celebrated UFC color commentator but even he could get some criticism. Rogan has commentated on fights for years now. He’s also an MMA insider and has trained in many forms. All in all, the podcaster has a very good background for his job. But is that always enough?

An old clip of Rogan commentating over Ilia Topuria‘s UFC 264 fight went viral on Reddit. Here, Topuria’s opponent, Ryan Hall, kept pulling off the same move over and over again in hopes of getting Topuria’s leg. Rogan’s commentary on the situation was seen by some as rather biased.

He kept making it out as if Topuria was not under control of the fight, while the opposite may have been true. Hall’s BJJ move found a lot of respect from Rogan, even though it seemed to accomplish very little inside the cage. Rogan told the fans how he was doing something like an “Imanari roll type situation.”

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At one point, when Topuria goes in for a clinch, the color commentator notes that ‘El Matador’ is the one in trouble even though he’s the one with a more dominant position. Fans on Reddit became rather furious about the whole ordeal accusing Rogan of favoring BJJ-reliant fighters more.

This is an interesting take because the new featherweight champ, Ilia Topuria has great BJJ skills. He and his brother were the first Georgian BJJ black belts out there. While ‘El Matador’ didn’t fall for Hall’s tricks, Rogan’s takes still felt as if he was focusing on the wrong detail to the fans. Here’s how they reacted.

Fans react to Joe Rogan’s apparent bias.

Joe Rogan’s words found traction with fans years after the fight was over. Today, Topuria is the rightful featherweight champion, and even at UFC 264, he managed to knock Hall out cold once he caught him. Does the redeem Rogan? Not for these fans.

“Rogan is the worst announcer they have aside from Anik because he doesn’t know enough technical move he’s a color commentator anyway”

While some accused him of not knowing enough, others remembered more than what was shown in the clip.

“I remember watching this fight live and remember Joe and others trashing hall for his strategy multiple times”

This fan gave Rogan a label.

“Joes a do*che”

On the other hand, some of them saw a pattern and called for Dana White and Co. to do something about it.

“I really hate how Joe always has this kind of tone when he says “hes got his legs” that makes it sound like it’s inevitable that the BJJ guy is going to get him. It’s fuckin maddening. I really wish the UFC would just have a Muay Thai division already”

“Rogan’s so over rated it’s ridiculous. I wish the Dana would get rid of him. There are so many other guys better qualified.”

This fan labeled his commentary as Rogan’s biggest asset instead of the podcast.

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“The Roe Jogan Experience”

Yet another fan referenced a TV show moment from a series called It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia where some characters end up pretending to be in a Lazer tag game.

“Joe should really be like Frank reynolds playing lazer tag. Just turn his mic off and let him think he’s contributing.”

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Clearly, Rogan has just as many critics as he has his fans. As one of the fans’ noted earlier on, there were many moments within the fight that were not covered in the video making it a bit vague. However, do these fans make a good case against Rogan? What is your take on this?

Also Read: Joe Rogan Explains How Sucker Punch Is the Worst Ever Move in a Fight