Joe Rogan believes Ronda Rousey would defeat Floyd Mayweather inside the UFC Octagon if the two fought tomorrow.
A longtime UFC commentator and combat sports fanatic, Rogan recently appeared on ESPN’s SportsNation (h/t TerezOwens.com), and he joined the panel in discussing a theoretical bout between the UFC women’s bantamweight champion, Rousey, and the legendary, undefeated, multi-title-holding pro boxer Mayweather.
To Rogan, Mayweather has the skills to eventually compete with Rousey, but right now he could not avoid the clinch and the ground game against the Olympic judoka.
Rogan said:
If Ronda got a clinch on him, it’s not just about worrying about getting taken down to the ground, it’s about worrying about knees to the body, it’s worrying about her manipulating his body in a way that he doesn’t understand. He would have to go with the very best trainers in the world and spend a good, solid six months to a year on nothing but grappling.
Rogan then conceded that Rousey would be very concerned about avoiding Mayweather’s punches in the hypothetical fight, but when the show’s co-host Marcellus Wiley asked Rogan who he would pick to win the fight, the UFC commentator responded, without missing a beat:
“Ronda Rousey. I’m not kidding you. It’s too hard to avoid the clinch.”
While Rogan’s claim sounds a bit kooky at first pass (a point that Wiley was quick to jump all over in a fit of disbelief), he clarified that Mayweather’s boxing game is not built on one-punch knockouts, and the longer Rousey remains conscious, the longer she has to tie up the boxing great and drag him to the canvas. From there, Mayweather would have nothing to offer.
On top of that, Rogan uses the UFC’s four-ounce gloves as a disadvantage for Mayweather. While the gloves would make a knockout even more likely should he connect, Mayweather has brittle hands, and they would be even more prone to breakage with less protection inside the Octagon, Rogan claimed.
What do you think? Does Rogan have a point, or is his love for the UFC clouding his better judgement?
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