Joe Rogan: “He's a fan with an audience”

Ronda Rousey recently questioned Joe Rogan's right to call himself a fighting expert. The former UFC women's bantamweight champion said Rogan may understand martial arts, but not what it means to compete at the highest level.

Rogan was part of the CFU since 2002. He has shaped the way millions view the sport with his energetic calls and technical breakdowns. Over the years, he has built a strong following through his commentary and podcasts, where his opinions often influence the way fans think about fighters and matchups.

Rousey's criticism came during a casual conversation with comedian Bert Kreischer, when he was asked about Rogan's fighting knowledge. She offered a scathing response, saying that the experience inside a cage carries a weight that study and commentary cannot match:

“He's not an expert, he's a fan with an audience. He's never fought. Taekwondo doesn't fight.”

Check Ronda RouseyComments from below (1:44:00):

Rogan's experience includes years of taekwondo training and competition. He is also a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Eddie Bravo.

The UFC color commentator began training in taekwondo as a teenager. He won the Massachusetts full contact state championship at age 19 and held a black belt in the discipline. Rogan went on to coach and compete regionally before branching out and dabbling in other forms of martial arts.

When Ronda Rousey called out Joe Rogan and the MMA media

Ronda Rousey revisited her years in the UFC while promoting her autobiography “Our Fight” and didn't hold back on what she thought about the media's treatment of her. Rousey said criticism after her losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes revealed how quickly support can disappear in combat sports.

Once the face of the UFC and its most dominant champion, Rousey defended her title six times in a row before the knockout in Melbourne changed everything. His comments were also aimed at Joe Rogan and sections of the MMA press. Speaking in an episode of The Chris Cuomo Project, she said:

“It was really disappointing to see how happily everyone turned on me and how people like Joe Rogan, who were crying in the ring about the honor of being able to call my fights, people I considered friends in the media, so quickly turned on me.”

She added:

“I'm also kind of grateful for that, in a way, because it forced me to separate other people's perceptions of me from my own perception of myself, which I had realized was really intertwined when you get this outpouring of love and support from people, it's like you're being love-bombed by the world. 'How can I keep this up?' It pushed me into a lifestyle that I felt like I was trying to impress everyone, like I was pandering to everyone, and I was doing things that I felt like other people would think were cool but that I didn't really like.”