Joe Rogan wants the UFC and CEO Dana White to make some changes to the rules inside the Octagon but the MMA fandom isn’t on-board! During a conversation with MMA and BJJ legend, Royce Gracie on the JRE (Joe Rogan Experience) MMA Show no. 156, the podcast host revealed his problems with the current rule set in the UFC. Having been part of the UFC since 1997, Rogan is well-versed in the evolution of the sport from its early days of no-hold-barred contests to the modern-day unified rules of MMA.

According to Rogan, “The rules are set up much more for strikers, and wrestlers. Because say if you’re a jiu-jitsu guy and you’re fighting in the first round and rounds are 5 minutes long and you take the guy down (in) 4 minutes 30 seconds, you only have 30 seconds to work.”

He further explained, “I don’t think you should stand people up ever”, as in his opinion, once a fighter has you taken down, the fight should restart on the ground if you can’t escape by the end of the round. Rogan also stated, “I feel like the fight should be ‘A FIGHT’. So if a fight is 5 rounds, that’s a 25-minute fight. And whatever position you’re in at the end of the first round, you should begin in the second round.”

The UFC color commentator also put forth the idea of having no time limits for the fights, but Royce Gracie shut down that idea as he explained that it would not be a good viewing experience for fans watching on television. But he also gave an alternative with one fifteen-minute round for the entire fight, and if nobody wins, the officials add more time to the clock. However, the fans don’t seem to agree with the ideas as they took to the comments to highlight their issues with the proposed changes to the rules. Here’s a look at what they had to say!

Fans blast Joe Rogan for his take on rule changes in the UFC  

Fans pointed out that usually, Joe Rogan is correct in his demands for rule changes, for example, in his problems with the 12-6 elbow ban that he has been vocal about in the past, but this time, the community doesn’t agree with his take.

“Super rare L take by Joe”

One fan brought up the issue that grappling isn’t attractive to watch for the spectators and former UFC fighter Jon Fitch caught a stray as his fighting style was used as an example of what the viewers don’t want to see.

“What Joe doesn’t realize is that people don’t actually want to see grappling. Nobody goes “Man, the UFC is good now, but I wish we had prime Jon Fitch and Jared Rosholt again”

Others highlighted the fact that the rules don’t really need a change as the sport is in a good place currently.

“Keep it the same how it is. Something that does not be changed and if so would only make the sport worse. Love Joe tho, a rare time he misses with a take.”

Some fans also disputed Rogan’s claims that the rules favor strikers as they pointed out that certain moves are banned under the current rules that would allow strikers to have more options available to them to counter grapplers.

“The rules HEAVILY favor grappling. No kicking a failed takedown (Aljo on his knees the entire fight), hugging and stalling to win the round (not fast enough separation) and more.”

While others took their reaction to the extreme as they claimed that Rogan is trying to “kill” the sport with his demands.

“So joe is trying to kill this sport”

Fans also wanted to balance out Rogan’s suggestions by demanding knees to the head of grounded opponents reminiscent of PRIDE FC rules.

“Then allow knees on the ground”

Others stated that if the UFC were to implement the changes that Rogan wants, they’d rather watch other promotions instead.

“lol if ufc ever do that I’ll be watching ONE and PFL”

But a contrasting opinion was put forth by one fan who pointed out that in his opinion, Rogan’s demands make more sense in the context of a street fight and as such, would allow the better fighter to prevail.

“In the streets there’s no ref and the better man is really decided there. So he’s speaking facts”

In conclusion, despite Joe Rogan’s extensive experience in the UFC and his well-argued proposals for rule changes, the MMA fandom appears to be divided on his latest suggestions. Whether or not his ideas gain traction remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the conversation around MMA rules is far from over. What are your thoughts on the rule changes suggested by Joe Rogan? Share them with us in the comments below!