You would think nothing would surprise Joe Rogan anymore with the kind of things he’s heard on his podcast. Especially after regularly talking about physical specimens like David Goggins, and many other top athletes, and their physical feats, Rogan has seen it all.
So when he sat down for an episode of his podcast, he was definitely not expecting this insane challenge from his guest. Rogan brought on Cody Tucker, who hosts his own comedy podcast show, and the pair began talking about UFC legend Nick Diaz.
Rogan praised Diaz’s gas tank, asserting that it always impressed him, recounting times where the UFC fighter would run triathlons and swim long distances between training camps, and sometimes even while he was high.
This would bring the subject of discussion to endurance races, making Rogan claim that his friend Cam Hayes is taking on an impossible task as we speak.
“My friend right now is running a 250-mile race with a broken foot,” he said with a perplexed look on his face. Hanes, a bowhunter, according to his Instagram profile, completed the 025 Cocodona 250 in 84 hours, 33 minutes, 37 seconds.
Rogan also joked about how he would never do anything with a broken foot.
“If my foot was broken, I would get it fixed and I definitely wouldn’t run. I might not run again.” he added.
To put this Hanes’ insane feat into perspective, Rogan’s guest Tucker drew comparisons with the Daytona 500, a NASCAR Race that cars run. Hayes would be running half that distance with a broken foot, an unfathomable idea to the common man.
The UFC commentator continued talking about special athletes like Hanes and got back to the older Diaz brother — firmly noting that the OG Stockton Slugger would do things that most people, including him, simply won’t try.
Rogan shocks audience with Diaz’s Alcatraz story
Younger fans know all about his younger brother, Nate, but the elder Diaz brother had it all. An iron chin, unlimited stamina, and an elite striking and grappling skillset.
He was almost too good to be true. And that’s exactly what Joe Rogan thought as well, having called many of his fights himself.
Rogan praised the older Diaz brother saying, “Dude Nick Diaz was the man, and he had insane cardio… He swam back from Alcatraz 5 times. He’s got insane cardio, like does triathlons for funsies.”
“Do you know the kind of balls you have to have to know that you have to swim all the way to the shore with sharks underneath you everywhere. You know if they bite you, you’re dead,” he added, still surprised.
What’s more, Rogan also believes that a prime Nick would have been a major problem in the UFC. But unfortunately for him, he wasted away his prime years at Strikeforce.
Joe Rogan talks of how Nick Diaz swam Alcatraz 5X (I think it was actually 6) his incredible cardio & striking. Good shit! pic.twitter.com/ClFA0NkyTI
— Dooda (@Mel1907222441) May 6, 2025
And by the time he made his way back into the UFC, he was just not the same fighter anymore. With Nick still under contract for the UFC and teasing another return to the octagon, fans may get to see him fight again. But it is unlikely that it will be the answer to one of the biggest ‘What Ifs’ in the history of the promotion.
