Veteran UFC color caller, Joe Rogan believes the phenomenon of ‘celebrity boxing’ is rife for a slew of potential matching fixing — as well as scripting scandals.
Rogan, a stalwart in the UFC’s commentary booth, was notably less than supportive of last year’s controversial blockbuster between former podcast guest Mike Tyson and the polarizing Jake Paul.
Recording a forgettable unanimous decision win over the 58-year-old former world heavyweight champion, Paul prevailed in a hugely-fishy and discussed pairing.
Despite having managed to garner interest in the duel with clever social media videos, Tyson looked grossly out of touch in the ring. And yet Paul failed to finish the former champion, making fans rightfully ask if they had been duped.
With a matchup of that stature coming into question, Rogan suggests fake pairings are not far from the realm of possibility to boot.
While failing to add further, the Jersey native claimed he was privy to information where lucrative sums were discussed for fighters to purposely tank a match.
“Well, I do know that people have been offered fights that are fake fights,” Rogan said on his podcast. “100%. I know people who have been offered fights where they’ve been told, ‘You will win the fight.‘
“I know that they’re are celebrity boxing matches, and celebrity fights that are like that,” Rogan added.
When asked if he would like to participate in such matchups, considering they are an easy way to make millions, Rogan quickly dismissed it.
“No, no, no — I’m old as f*ck,” he said.
“No, you shouldn’t do that stuff as you get older I think. I don’t think your body is as resilient. Even if you stay fit and in shape. You don’t want head trauma in your 50s”, the UFC caller calmly explained.
Interestingly, Rogan is not the only one to claim knowledge of scripted fights. Former UFC champion Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson also claims that fake fights are closer to home than you may believe.
Rampage accuses PRIDE FC of hosting fixed fights
In what has been a long-running accusation, defunct Japanese promotion Pride FC has been accused of hosting fake fights- given reputed ties to the Yakuza and its bosses.
Jackson, who competed six times in two years between 2003 and 2005, claimed that while he has never seen a fake fight in the UFC, the case cannot be said for the Japanese promotion.
“It’s just entertainment — Pride [FC] was all about entertainment,” Rampage told Chris Van Vliet in 2023.
“A lot of those Japanese fighters, they were pro wrestlers. So, some of those fights was fake, right? And I’ve seen people I’ve them hit each other for real, but it’s a fake fight. I’ve seen it”, he explained.
Notably, these allegations have come from other Pride FC fighters like Gary Goodridge as well, who claimed to have had been approached by bookers to drop fights.
