On his latest episode of the Joe Rogan Experience, the popular podcaster welcomed former Green Bay Packers quarterback and Super Bowl winner Aaron Rodgers as his special guest.
Rodgers is a known MMA fan, having attended UFC 302 last year. Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier headlined the event, with the Russian fighter successfully defending his lightweight title with the victory.
As a professional sportsman with a celebrated career stretching all the way back to 2005, Rodgers is all too aware of the processes involving illegal substances testing at elite level. Sitting down with Rodgers, Rogan was keen to discuss the trials and tribulations of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED) testing within boxing and MMA.
While Rogan isn’t naive and recognizes the need for PED testing within professional sport, he couldn’t help but hide his disappointment at what became of a popular heavyweight when the UFC tightened up its approach to testing.
“When UFC brought in USADA, all that changed, and people’s physiques melted. They changed radically,” explained Rogan. “Alistair Overeem is the greatest example. Alistair, when he fought Brock Lesnar, got drug tested and he was saucy as f**k.
“When he’s flexing on stage, that’s when he’s ‘Ubereem’. 260 [pounds], solid as f**k, ripped, and just one of the more elite strikers on planet earth. And Brock was f**ked. And then they make him take the drugs test, and he becomes a normal person with good fighting skills. He wasn’t the ‘Ubereem’ anymore, this destroyer on the sauce.”
Rogan’s disappointment soon turned to fascination as a ‘what-if?’ scenario concerning Overeem washed over him.
“I’d love to see what an Alistair Overeem run on the sauce would’ve been. My god, it would have been epic. It would have been really wild. I want fun,” laughed the JRE host. “I don’t wanna see fat heavyweights, get the f**k outta here. I want Alistair back. Get him back on the sauce.”
Joe Rogan: Jon Jones “doesn’t have to fight”
Joe Rogan moved swiftly from one heavyweight to another, as Aaron Rodgers pressed the UFC expert about current heavyweight champ, Jon Jones.
Jones, who has often found himself at the center of drugs testing scandals, last fought in November when he successfully defended his title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309. But right now pressure continues to grow, as interim champion Tom Aspinall’s patience wears thinner with each passing day.
But from Rogan’s perspective, he understands why Jones could be dragging his feet over Aspinall. “He doesn’t have to [fight], right? He’s a legend, he’s also 37. At what point in time does a fighter say, ‘Enough is enough?’ Especially a natural fighter. And if you are natural, and you have to be today, they’re just testing you way too much.”
Aspinall has been Interim Champion since November 2023 and last fought in July, defending his title against Curtis Blaydes. Aspinall continues to press the UFC for a bout with Jones, but the champion remains less than forthcoming about facing the British fighter.
