Watching a once undefeated Tony Ferguson go on an 8-fight losing streak breaks one’s heart just as much as the next person. But imagine, being friends with Tony and watching the decline in person, while you call his fights! That’s what UFC commentator Joe Rogan has had to reckon with, time and again, with Tony and many others before him.
Watching them take punches they once shrugged off, but now struggle to handle is a raw and sobering reality most MMA enthusiasts have to deal with, for fighters rarely leave the fight before the fight leaves them.
During a conversation with Hollywood actor-director, Mel Gibson, Rogan got emotional as he spoke about recognizing the patterns that lead to careers ending in disasters and said,
“It becomes a problem for me when I am friends with a guy. And also when I see that they are on the tail end of their career and they can not take shots anymore. Then when you talk to them you recognise that their speech patterns are slurring.”
While some fighters have quit at the top of their game, many have returned to the sport in hopes of a bigger payday. Take Mike Tyson for example. The legendary boxer, who quit the sport in 2005, returned in 2024 in a farce of a match against Jake Paul.
Sure, he made a good $20 million out of it, but was the damage he took worth it? Tyson admits to blanking out and not remembering much of that fight after the first round.
“I remember coming back from the first round and Jake is doing some kind of…I don’t know what he was doing…And that’s the last thing I remember.”
Mike Tyson doesn’t remember fighting Jake Paul and questions why he did it pic.twitter.com/LykW2lkmOg
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) December 19, 2024
He could have taken some serious damage during the fight which could have had long-term consequences. The boxer had absolutely nothing to prove and didn’t need to fight an ambitious man in his prime.
This is also probably why Rogan is calling for UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones to call it a day amidst the talks about unifying the title against Tom Aspinall.
‘Let Jones be’, claims Rogan
Jones just defended his title with a win over Stipe Miocic at UFC 309, but his future in the octagon remains uncertain.
While British interim champion Tom Aspinall has been waiting for his shot at Jones since knocking out Sergei Pavlovich in July, Jones has shown little interest in facing the 31-year-old.
Instead, he’s hinted at a preference to fight UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, stating he’s done with taking on “dangerous up-and-comers”. Jones had also claimed that he would only even consider the Aspinall fight if what he was getting paid for it was so insane that it didn’t matter if he won or lost.
Earlier this week, Rogan had claimed that the mythical figure Jones was demanding was $30 million. Fortunately, a call from bossman Dana White seems to have clarified that misunderstanding.
Rogan has now claimed that if Jones were to retire overnight, nobody would blame him, especially after giving so much to the sport for such a long time. After dominating two divisions and cementing his legacy as the GOAT, Jones has little left to prove.
“Well, apparently Jon is thinking about retiring. And he should… I mean, he’s going to have to someday. I’m not saying he should retire, I’m saying he should think about it… He’s the GOAT, he retires, he’s got plenty of money. He’s got an opportunity to do some acting.”
Rogan is not wrong. But Jones must first vacate the heavyweight title. As long as he holds on to undisputed UFC gold, there will be a target on his back, and questions about his fighting status. As fans, one can only hope that Jones can pop in for one last match and end his career by defeating the one guy everyone seems to believe he can’t beat. But why would he risk it?
