Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC
Cris Cyborg picked up a big win over Felicia Spencer a few weeks ago at UFC 240, earning a unanimous decision nod over the former Invicta FC Featherweight champion (highlights). While she was happy to get back in the win column, Cyborg wasn’t too thrilled upon re-watching the fight.
That’s because she wasn’t impressed with the commentary, specifically from Joe Rogan. According to the fearsome striker, the broadcast team made it seem like the fight was much closer than it actually was, focusing more on Spencer’s bright spots as opposed to her own dominance.
After Anik came out and refuted that his calls weren’t biased, Joe Rogan has now followed suit. During his most-recent edition of the “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, Rogan defended his commentary, while continuing to give high praise to Spencer.
“That was the thing with the Spencer fight. Like, people were saying, ‘Oh, it was biased commentary.’ No, it wasn’t. That girl survived. She survived the onslaught. It was her eighth pro fight or ninth pro fight,” Rogan said. “It wasn’t close. And she cut Cyborg’s face wide open, too. But still, the idea was that she was going to run through that girl and she didn’t. That girl was tough as shit.”
While Rogan makes it clear he agreed that Cyborg ran away with the fight hands down, he never addressed the cardio concerns he senselessly rambled on about that never materialized. Indeed, Rogan thought the three-round bout was scheduled for five deep into the second stanza and had to finally be corrected by his cohorts. Nevertheless, Rogan gave props to the clear underdog for doing much better than many expected.
“There was no one that thought Spencer won that fight after it was over, but it was amazing that she was able to endure the fucking beating that Cyborg put on her. It was incredible.”
Since then, UFC and Cyborg have parted ways, ending the “nightmare” of a partnership between Dana White and the former 145-pound title holder. As far as the public apology from Rogan and White, it seems that won’t happen anytime soon.