Veteran UFC commentator Joe Rogan responded after former bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey questioned his expertise in combat sports. During a recent tirade, Rousey dismissed Rogan as “not an expert,” mocking his experience despite his decades-long career as a UFC analyst.
Rogan, 58, who never competed professionally in MMA but has over 100 taekwondo bouts as a teenager, emphasized that he still holds respect for the outspoken fighter. A recorded footage exists of him teaching spinning back kick techniques to former UFC champion Georges St-Pierre back in 2011.
Rogan Highlights Rousey’s Champion Mindset
“She made the female divisions possible,’ Rogan said on his podcast. “It took someone who was that dynamic, that special, for [Dana White] to go ‘You know what? This lady’s a star’. When she said I wasn’t an expert, everyone’s entitled to their opinion, but you have to understand why she thinks like that. She has a champion mentality.
“I never had a bad thing to say about Ronda, I still don’t. I understand her mentality. I mean, she’s a champion-minded person. She’s like, ‘You’re f**king with me or against me. It’s me against the world.’
“She’s a legend! I’ve got nothing but love and respect for that lady.”
Rogan continued, highlighting Rousey’s mental toughness and competitiveness.
“She doesn’t have a chip on her shoulder, she’s got a forest — she’s got a whole forest on her shoulder. That’s why she was so good. And we’re lucky she was a woman. If that lady was a man, she would be f**king Genghis Khan. She would take over the world. She’s an animal.”
Reflecting on her career achievements, Rogan praised her performances in the Octagon.
“There’s a fight with her and Cat Zingano. Cat Zingano just launches at her — Zingano was a f**king animal. Ronda catches her in an armbar in like 13 seconds. I don’t remember the exact time. It was nuts. But it was perfect. Perfect technique.
“What Ronda had was world-class Judo,” Rogan continued. “One of the best armbars, period, in the history of the sport…a legitimate pioneer, and a star. She eclipsed all of them. I’m a huge supporter, and I still am, but when you’re watching a fight and you’re getting your a– kicked, that doesn’t sit well with a lot of people, especially someone with that Pitbull mentality.”
Rogan had also been preparing for a potential UFC fight against actor Wesley Snipes in 2005, but the matchup ultimately never happened.
Ronda Rousey’s criticism of Rogan may be rooted in their earlier tension, which emerged toward the end of her MMA career—a period that concluded abruptly with TKO losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes.
