Former UFC champion cites a lewd joke Joe Rogan made at her expense.
Bellator featherweight champion Cris Cyborg fought in the UFC between 2016 and 2020 and claimed that promotion’s featherweight title in her third ever fight in the Octagon. She defended that belt twice before losing to Amanda Nunes in 2018.
Cyborg joined the UFC despite a number of comments that were made about her by UFC President Dana White and Ronda Rousey, the UFC’s biggest star during Cyborg’s time outside of the company.
This week Cyborg expressed that it was comments from another UFC mainstay that stuck with her throughout her time in the Octagon. On twitter she revealed that UFC commentator Joe Rogan’s lewd joke about her caused her stress whenever she knew he would be calling one of her fights.
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“After listening to [Joe Rogan] make jokes that I would be the first UFC Fighter to cut off their penis to make a weight category I never felt comfortable with him as a commentator for my fights,” she wrote. “And knowing he was working an event of mine always added stress as an athlete.”
In her last fight, at Bellator 259 in May, Cyborg defeated Leslie Smith by TKO to defend the featherweight title. That win extended her streak in Bellator to 3-0, building on her wins over Arlene Blencowe and Julia Budd.