Joe Rogan Says CM Punk's UFC 225 Fight Should Be Held At "Some Amateur Event"
UFC commentator Joe Rogan recently discussed the upcoming CM Punk vs. Mike Jackson UFC 225 match on his Joe Rogan Experience podcast. Rogan stated that, unlike Gall, Punk is now fighting someone who is commensurated talent, being a fellow beginner in martial arts. He stated that facing Gall was a "foolish venture," and is a very good lesson to people who are "fans of positive thinking and think that is enough."
"That s–t is not enough," said Rogan. "If you're 110 pounds, you can positive think your way to the bank. Francis Ngannou is still gonna punch your brains out. There's just no way around it. And a guy who has really very little experience in martial arts and has rudimentary control of his body, I mean that's what I saw when I saw him training. When I saw him training I thought, 'oh my God. This guy is gonna get killed.'"
Although Rogan felt that competing against Gall in his first match was a bad idea, facing Jackson is a better fit. Still, he feels that Punk vs. Jackson should be "in some amateur event somewhere," because both are amateurs learning to compete. Rogan also felt that CM Punk approached his fight with Gall as if it was a pro wrestling fight.
"What was really weird watching him walk to the cage is that he was approaching it like a pro wrestling fight," said Rogan. "Cuz he had done so many of these pro wrestling matches, that he was walking to the cage with pro wrestling mannerisms. While I was watching this, I did like an internal head shake like 'ah f–k.' It was a terrible idea. Whoever on his side said you can fight Mickey Gall, you're out of your f**king mind. Watch that kid fight once. That kid is very good on the ground."
Rogan added that although Brock Lesnar also came from WWE, his situation was much different than Punk, because he came from an amateur wrestling background that he was able to use as an advantage. However, because Punk started to compete in his 30s, it's a "different animal," and starting an MMA career at the point in his life may on such a big stage may not be a good decision.
If any of these quotes are used, please be sure to credit the Joe Rogan Experience with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
Source: The Joe Rogan Experience