Joe Rogan has long believed that mixed martial arts should be as close to a real fight as possible. The long-time UFC commentator has been an integral part of the history of the Dana White-led promotion and was especially fond of the original no-rules, no-holds-barred format of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Fans will remember Rogan defending the sport of MMA in its infamous early days in a now-historic ESPN appearance opposite boxing promoter Lou DiBella in 2008. To Dibella’s charge of MMA being “human cock-fighting,” Rogan had countered that the sport tried to incorporate all aspects of a real fight, which was different than boxing, where two fighters agree not to use anything except their hands despite that not being how any real fight plays out.

Even during his conversation with Tank Abbott, while the duo watched clips of Abbott’s exchanges with his opponent, wherein the referee separated the two fighters, the fighter had an interesting insight. He said, “There were no rules. All they had to do was give him a starting gun and he could stand there and go boom.” 

Time and again on the JRE podcast, Joe Rogan has seen the evolution of the sport from a looked-down-upon bloodsport to the standardized sport it is today and has a long list of rules he thinks should be changed. One particular rule that ticks off the UFC commentator is for the fight to start on the feet in the next round, even if the previous round ended on the ground.

The JRE podcast host recently discussed the rule with the winner of the first-ever UFC tournament, Royce Gracie, pointing out that it put grapplers at a disadvantage and calling for it to be changed. He reiterated this demand yet again, observing: “I don’t think you should stand people up – ever. I think once a guy takes you down, the fight is on the ground. If it’s boring for the audience, tough sh*t.” 

The color commentator is, in all probability, speaking up against the unfair advantage that strikers and wrestlers get over grapplers. This also further denounces the five-minute round rules, wherein after every five minutes, the fighters get a refresher, and the bout is reset every round!

But fans were split on Rogan’s take, with most agreeing wholeheartedly and calling for the rule change to be instituted. Others, however, pointed out a few flaws in the UFC commentator’s reasoning.

Joe Rogan “is right” to suggest the rule change, but fans believe it won’t happen

Fans took to social media to share their thoughts on Rogan’s suggestions. One fan felt that the rule change was in order and simply expressed his agreement with Rogan with a brief: “Agreed 👏🏻.” Another seconded this and felt that if a fighter didn’t have the wherewithal to get up, they deserved to stay on the ground: “100!!! If you don’t have the skill to get back up, that’s your problem.”

Do you remember when Cheick Kongo took on Pat Barry at UFC on Versus 4 in 2011? Well, after Barry knocked Kongo down with a powerful right hook, it looked like the fight was over. Kongo was on the ground, and Barry pounced, unleashing punch after punch. But the former managed to get back on his feet, only to be knocked down yet again. However, the referee didn’t stop the fight. And as he let it continue, Kongo somehow regained his footing, stood up, and knocked out Barry.

Another was of the opinion that while the 56-year-old was correct from a purely fighting point of view, it would be a massive shake-up and irrevocably change the current version of the UFC that fans love and adore: “I think he is right. But not so good for the show, so… UFC would not be UFC if there was not some of the things that are there for the show as well! I agree with Joe but I disagree with Joe.”

Imagine what would’ve happened at UFC 159 had this rule not been in place. The debacle in the build-up to UFC 151 – where Jon Jones was set to fight Dan Henderson, but Chael Sonnen stepped in when the latter withdrew just three days before the event – led to the first canceled card in the UFC. But it also led to UFC 159, where Jones and Sonnen met in the Octagon.

As soon as the fight started, Jones came out swinging and was more aggressive than usual. With less than a minute left in the first round, fans saw one of the most brutal finishes in MMA history. Having taken down Sonnen thrice at will, Jones unleashed powerful punches, knees, and elbows at Sonnen, who was pinned to the ground. However, the referee stepped in to save Sonnen. Although the fight was over then, had the referee deemed Sonnen fit to continue and stood him up, given how vicious Jones looked, there’s a good chance it would’ve ended way worse for Sonnen.

Likewise, another fan was split on the topic but felt that the referee should intervene and stand fighters up if there was no action happening on the ground: “Yes and no cuz if fighter aint doing sh*t just lays down and holds…u need to stand them up cuz he don’t do dmg or tries to do subs.” At the end of the day, fans pay money to watch these MMA artists fight. If a fighter stays on the ground just to waste time without fighting, what would fans have to look forward to?

However, another fan was not a fan of the suggested rule change, pointing out that even wrestling had a rule that let the referee stand fighters up if they thought either fighter was simply running down the clock: “There’s even stalling in wrestling though.” What do you think? Should this demand be fulfilled?