Veteran UFC commentator Joe Rogan has recounted his rationale for discontinuing participation in competitive combat sports.
Before Rogan achieved widespread recognition as an entertainer and UFC broadcaster, he was a taekwondo competitor. Rogan quickly distinguished himself in the discipline, clinching the U.S. Open Taekwondo Championship at the age of 19. He also secured four Massachusetts state championships.
It was not long until Rogan decided that competitive engagement was no longer suitable for him. During a recent installment of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” the well-known UFC analyst elaborated on why he brought his fighting career to an early close (as reported by MMAFighting).
“I ceased competitive fighting when I was 22,” Rogan stated. “I began performing comedy at 21, and while I continued training and fighting a few times somewhat half-heartedly concurrent with my comedy, I no longer possessed my previous level of dedication. A series of incidents led me away from the desire to compete. One crucial factor was recognizing brain damage. Observing it in other individuals. Noticing it among friends, and then lying in bed experiencing headaches after sparring sessions, pondering ‘where is this heading?’ especially since I wasn’t generating any income from it.
“Upon engaging in boxing and kickboxing, I witnessed extensive instances of brain injury. So much unreported neurological harm. Simply peculiar phenomena. Individuals would recount the identical story they had just told you five minutes prior. They would simply tell it to you once more. I realized, ‘oh, these individuals cannot recall having just uttered this information moments ago.’ It was akin to them being under the influence, yet they weren’t. They were merely commencing to exhibit the preliminary indicators of cerebral damage.”
Rogan remained deeply involved with the world of combat, even though he ceased throwing kicks at opponents. He eventually earned a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and has provided assistance to others in refining their taekwondo techniques.
He even offered guidance to UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre during the zenith of his professional career.
