Joe Rogan details the “humiliating” experience that prompted him to take up MMA
Joe Rogan is detailing the ‘humiliating’ experience that prompted him to take up MMA.
Rogan, 55, is currently a veteran color commentator for the UFC, as well being a podcaster, comedian, actor, and former television presenter. Rogan also hosts ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ which has an estimated 11 million listeners per episode.
Rogan’s experience in MMA consisted of participating in the Taekwondo State championship and fighting professionally as a kickboxing fighter.
In speaking on ‘JRE espisode #1871’, Rogan shared with Hollywood film producer Jon Peters how he got interested in combat sports.
The veteran film producer asked Rogan:
“Have you ever been in a fight, where it’s full-blown to the whoever gets knocked out?”
Responding Joe Rogan said (h/t Essentially Sports):
“You mean like a full contact fight.”
To which Peters said:
“Like a street fight.”
Rogan responded with a story about what happened to him when he was just 14.
“No, I really didn’t get into street fights. I avoided street fights. The last three fights that I had is probably when I was like 14.”
“The last one that I got in, I lost. And the guy didn’t even hurt me. He got me in a headlock. Like, I didn’t even know we were going to fight.”
Continuing Rogan said:
“I was like why is this guy staring at me like this? Like he got my face, he grabbed me in a headlock and he threw me to the ground and he got on top of me in the bathroom of the boy’s room. And he got, he went that like he was going to punch me, then he laughs and he was like, ‘Nah, I don’t even have to.’”
“And he lets me up and it was humiliating, it was humiliating.”
Following the incident, which obviously had a definitive impact on Rogan, he began training in different disciplines of martial arts, including Taekwondo and Juijitsu.
Rogan went on to say he also wanted to learn how to wrestle:
“I realize like, Oh my god, I gotta learn how to wrestle. And then I joined the wrestling team.”
Although it’s been 41 years, Rogan remembers what brought him into the combat sports industry where he remains to this day, albeit in a different capacity.
Can you relate to Joe Rogan’s experience as a teenager?
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