If you’re not fighting in the UFC, you’re just wasting your time.
That was the message from longtime commentator and popular podcaster Joe Rogan who recently suggested that any aspiring mixed martial artists competing in rival organizations, such as the PFL or ONE Championship, are doing a disservice to themselves.
“No disrespect to the other organizations, there’s very good fighters in the other organizations, but I often feel like they’re wasting their career,” Rogan said on a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience. “Because I see these elite fighters that are fighting in Bellator or PFL, and I’m like, ‘Hey guys, no one’s watching.’
“I mean, some people are watching. You’re getting a little bit of a fanbase. I don’t want to disrespect. But, there’s a reality. There’s the XFL and there’s the CFL, then there’s the f*cking NFL. And if you’re not in the f*cking NFL, are you really playing football?”
While the PFL hopes to bridge the gap between itself and the UFC courtesy of its acquisition of Bellator, there is no denying that the Las Vegas-based promotion is the premier combat sports organization the world over.
Rogan Believes There is No Spectacle in MMA Quite Like the UFC
One of the things that makes the UFC stand above the rest is its incredibly deep pool of talent that has churned out some of the biggest names in the sport, including Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, and Conor McGregor. Rogan believes it is for that reason that UFC champions stand head and shoulders above the titleholders in rival organizations.
“If you’re the UFC champ, you’re the f*cking man.” Rogan said. “If you’re the Bellator champ, I respect the sh*t out of those guys. I love them. Guys like Johnny Eblen. I really wish that guy would come to the UFC.”
The UFC also boasts an undeniably impressive production value, something that Rogan wants every aspiring fighter to experience at some point in their career.
“There’s this feeling of being in the UFC that everyone dreams of,” Rogan said. “You want Bruce Buffer right in front of you going, ‘It’s time!’ And you’re like, ‘Holy sh*t.’”
Transcription by MMA Junkie
