Back in 2015, when Ronda Rousey was on the top of the world and dominating all comers at bantamweight, Joe Rogan went on to say that she could probably beat half of her male counterparts in the UFC. It was a statement that many contested and even ridiculed, but now it seems like the UFC color commentator is backing up on his earlier claims a bit.
During his JRE podcast, Rogan discussed the skewed fan perception of Rousey, and also spoke about his own “hyperbole” from before the losses to Holm and Nunes.
“I’m not happy that Ronda Rousey lost, but in a way, it makes things easier because there was a bunch of f—king people that were going, ‘Oh yeah, what about Ronda Rousey? She’d beat…” And I made the mistake of saying — hyperbole, I’m the master of hyperbole, I exaggerate all the time — I was like, ‘She could probably beat half the men bantamweights in the UFC.’
“No, that’s definitely not true. I shouldn’t have said it at the time,” Rogan said with a laugh. “Now, it’s definitely not true.
“She could beat a few, that aren’t good outside the sport,” he continued. “Look, if she gets guys on the ground she could f—k a lot of people up. Her Judo is 100% legit, her armbars are amongst the best in the business, but people were always saying that. Now that she’s lost everyone’s relaxed with that.”
It is interesting to point out that back when Rogan got some flack for his statements in 2015, he actually defended and reaffirmed those comments a couple of weeks after.
Related: Rogan: Rousey is “not just a once in a lifetime athlete, she’s a once ever”
“People got upset when I said that I think she could beat a lot of men in her weight class,” Rogan said at the time. “They don’t know. They’ve never rolled with a girl who is really good. Technique is paramount and her technique is so laser sharp.”
“Talking about a guy who is her weight and then even if he’s physically stronger than her, maybe he can hit harder, but how much of a technical advantage does she have on the ground? She could easily catch you in something in a scramble. Easily. She’s one, two, three, four steps ahead of you.”
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