“It Didn’t Hurt”: Joe Rogan Recalls Moment He Was Knocked Out for the First Time

Well-versed in a host of combat sports, UFC caller Joe Rogan has described the feeling of a knockout as that of a ‘blue screen of death’ to the layman. A bizarre description that only makes sense if you have ever been sent to the shadow realm.

Rogan, a former amateur kickboxer himself and a talented Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace, has spent the majority of his life embroiled in combat sports. A mainstay in the Octagon’s commentary booth, Rogan has called countless fights, having sat just feet away from some of the most devastating stoppages in the history of combat sports to boot.

However, there’s no KO like the one laid out on yourself. Rogan, of course, has had a few of those. Claiming the feeling was not painful per se, he explained how the victim’s “legs” just give out on them.

“You get super confused,” he said during an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience. “Your ears are ringing. Your legs don’t work right anymore. When you get knocked out — I only got TKOed once, in a kickboxing fight. And, ironically, it didn’t hurt.”

“It’s the craziest feeling,” he added.” Elaborating on his story, the UFC commentator said, “He clipped me with a left hook I didn’t see… So I was conscious, but my legs just disconnected. …Like everything wasn’t working good.”

It should be noted that Rogan himself has famously knocked quite a few men out. A seasoned kickboxer and taekwondo striker, he once talked about how he thought he had killed an opponent!

“One time, in a fight, in a martial arts fight, knocked this guy out. He never got up. And I started thinking, that could be me. They took him away to the hospital.”, he had said during a podcast episode in 2022.

Disturbingly enough, his instructor’s reaction to this was what truly makes one rethink their life choices. “I said, it was really scary because he never got up. I thought he was dead. And he goes, ‘Sometimes they die. ‘ And he just walked away.”, a still-bewildered Rogan said.

Thankfully, that didn’t deter Rogan from paying interest in MMA class! In fact, to this day, Rogan has a list of his favorite KOs.

Rogan’s favorite KO pick

The UFC has had some insane knockouts. Jordge Masvidal taking out Ben Askren at UFC 239 in 2019, comes to mind. Then, there is Conor McGregor’s 13-second sniping of Jose Aldo at UFC 194 in 2015. And, of course, who can forget Max Holloway sending Justin Gaethje to the mat in the last second of the fight at UFC 300 last year?

However, for the New Jersey native, Dutch striking veteran Melvin Manhoef’s stunning blitz of ex-UFC title challenger Mark Hunt remains an all-time favorite

“You want to talk about the scariest striker ever in MMA? I think it’s Melvin,” Rogan said on his podcast in 2024.

“He might not have been the best. He might not be the best technical; [Alex] Pereira is probably the most tactical. But Melvin was so terrifying.”, he added, explaining that the former heavyweight would blitz at his opponents without a care in the world.

Somehow still shocked at what he had seen back in 2008, Rogan exclaimed, “Dropped Mark Hunt and put him out. I mean who the f*ck does that?… Bro, he is so fast. Man, this dude was like a demon.”