Morning Report: Joe Rogan reveals his ‘biggest regret’ in MMA history

All of us have regrets, even Joe Rogan.

One of many greatest podcasters on the planet, Rogan can be one of many faces of the UFC, having served as a colour commentator for the promotion since 2002. In that point, Rogan’s seen all of it, from the most effective fights to those that received away, and whereas there are various issues he may want had occurred in a different way, one stands above all of the others: Fedor Emelianenko by no means made it to the UFC.

“My predominant remorse in MMA is we by no means received to see Fedor combat within the UFC when he was in his prime,” Rogan instructed Ilia Topuria on his podcast. “If I may have one factor, one combat of their prime, Fedor vs. Cain Velasquez. Of their prime. That might have been unbelievable.”

Broadly thought to be the best fighter to by no means compete within the UFC, Emelianenko was as soon as thought-about to be the highest pound-for-pound fighters in MMA, again when he was champion of Pleasure FC. After the UFC acquired Pleasure in 2007, many staples of the group did make their method into the octagon, however Emelianenko wasn’t one in all them. As an alternative, he struck out on his personal, competing for a lot of different promotions. However, Rogan says, it wasn’t for lack of effort by the UFC.

“They tried,” Rogan stated when requested why the UFC didn’t signal Fedor. “I’ve received to watch out how I say this: Fedor was managed by some Russian those that had been very tough males, because it had been. Gangster-type characters. They’d a bunch of negotiations with the UFC, however they had been very unreasonable calls for. They wished a part of the promotion; they wished to personal a chunk of every thing as a result of they knew with Fedor, that they had their golden ticket, they usually wished to play it out as a lot as attainable. Negotiations had been very intense and really confrontational. They received unhealthy, the place Dana needed to up his safety. It received fairly heavy. These had been harmful folks. … It received loopy.”

Emelianenko competed for a number of promotions, together with Strikeforce and Affliction, earlier than in the end ending his profession with Bellator in 2023. Velasquez, in the meantime, had the most effective years of his profession from 2009 to 2013, simply as Emelianenko was beginning to undergo a tough patch. However Rogan would have cherished to see them lock horns in that small window of overlap that was out there.

“That man had a fuel tank that was superhuman,” Rogan stated of Velasquez. “For a heavyweight?! It didn’t even make any sense. You’d see guys that may simply collapse. They might simply wilt. Pure boxing type, nice wrestling, unbelievable chin, indomitable will. Too robust for his personal good. Too robust, which is why he wound up towards the tip of his profession, his physique had deteriorated a lot. He had so many accidents, neck accidents, again accidents, shoulder accidents, knee damage. …

“In his prime, Cain Velasquez vs. Fedor. That’s my greatest remorse. A combat that we by no means received to see.”

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Icing the toes.

I’m with Joe on Fedor not ever combating within the UFC might be the largest miss in MMA historical past. However then once more, they introduced over Mirko Cro Cop and didn’t even give him a title shot. Are you able to think about that taking place right now? And we did in the end get to see Fedor in opposition to the highest UFC heavyweights throughout the Pleasure period, in order that was one thing at the very least.

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