If Joe Rogan ran the UFC, he would do things very differently.
The famous podcaster and comedian has been working for the UFC for almost 30 years now and started a Baskstage -Interviewer in 1997 in 1997. Since then he commented his honest part of the fights, including the UFC 314 headliner last weekend between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes, Joe Lopes.
Rogan has seen just about everything in MMA and is not a shortage of ideas when it comes to changing the established UFC format and maintaining the rules.
“There is often that I wanted me to have the UFC,” Rogan said on his podcast.
“I would change so many different things …”
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Joe Rogan would switch off the cage, replaced by the basketball court
The coveted UFC 'Octagon' was first introduced in 1993 after a few different concepts were presented, including a platform with barbed wire and a circular ring with screens.
Rogan has a completely different idea for a fighting housing, one that does not include the killed walls of the Octagon.
“I have some crazy ideas,” said Rogan.
“I don't even think they should fight in a cage. I think the cage is an unnecessary element in fighting. Pushing someone against something or get out of something. I don't think it is necessary.
“I think it should be like a basketball court,” Rogan suggested.
“If a basketball court is matted. Have a large space. Have a warning job where if you go outside the warning track too often, you could lose points.”
Joe Rogan suggests 'no standups ever' as a rule change
Apart from where the fight takes place, Rogan also suggested a new change of rule that would make struggles crazy.
Instead of every round that starts on the feet …
“If someone brings you down, you actually have to get up,” the UFC commentator explained.
“I think at the end of a round, say when you have mounted a man at the end of the round, you start the next round on him.
“Because why would you give him the advantage of getting up if he never got up?
“You have to get up. You have to get up yourself. No standups ever,” said Rogan.
Often the referee in MMA will remove certain positions on the ground because of inactivity and reset the hunters on the feet. Rogan's line idea would completely eliminate that.
“Unless someone makes a mistake,” Rogan cleared up. “If the man is at the bottom and he makes a mistake … take a point away, put it back in the same place.”