UFC 194: Aldo vs McGregor

[wandshogun09]

He shouldn't apologise for his opinion. But it's a bit shitty how he's going about putting it across. I'm not on about the leaked audio stuff, he wasn't to know that was going to be made public. But him and Brendan Schaub are terrible for accusing and speculating PED use on Rogan's podcast. They seem to accuse nearly every fighter of juicing. They're always dropping little hints and nodding and winking that certain guys are dirty. And I'm not sure they even know or if they're just speculating like you or I. Again it's their opinion but Rogan should know how damaging that could be coming from such a high profile name in the sport like him. It's one thing us nobodies speculating on here, no-one gives a fuck about our opinions. But when it's Joe Rogan and to a lesser extent Schaub, it carries more weight.

 

The comparison pictures Rogan used of Aldo were ridiculous as well. Look at this bollocks;

 

 

I mean, he's gone all the way back to the Swanson fight in 2009 for the 'before' picture just to make his point. AND it's a picture of him seconds after scoring a KO where he's in mid-air, tensed up, moving and flexing vs a picture where he's still and just coming around from a bad KO loss.

 

This is a more accurate comparison;

 

 

Four different Aldo fights, including the McGregor one at the bottom right, taken at the same point in each example. And I honestly can't see any difference. If there is then it's so minuscule it's not even worth talking about.

 

Now I'm not saying Aldo's always been squeaky clean. At this point I don't really trust that any MMA fighter hasn't dabbled in some form of PED. But sometimes it seems like Rogan either has a real agenda or he's just doing his usual thing of starting a line of thinking and then flogging that horse to death no matter what.

 

Jose Aldo got battered. Conor McGregor battered him. End of. This 'Aldo looked different/nervous' stuff is way overblown IMO. I've rewatched the fight - entrances and Buffer intros included - a few times now and I don't see any difference in Aldo whatsoever to his other fights. Physically or the way he was acting or carrying himself. He was bouncing down the aisle to 'Run This Town' as confidently as he always does. He didn't look at McGregor during the ref's instructions - he always looks down for every single fight at that point. I saw nothing different. He just got nailed with the perfect punch, on the sweet spot, and a combination of McGregor's timing and accuracy plus Aldo moving into the punch and maximising its power...that's all there is to it.

 

Shit happens.

 

I actually think Rogan's been on good form commentating during recent events, 193 and 194 especially. When there's an event or fight which you can tell he's really passionate about he's great and he ups his game. But he also chats a lot of shit as well. He'll throw a random comment out there - just like he's thinking out loud - but then he'll reinforce it to the point he's beating it to death.

[Egg Shen]

spot on wand. it's just one of those things where people are looking for excuses and clutching at something that not's really there.

 

On the subject of Rogan, it was never meant to be heard but it's the kind of comment that gets tossed around amongst any group of friends watching a fight, it's just amplified cause of the position he's in. Rogan's accusations of PED use on his podcast are relentless though, i'm 99% certain that at one point Rogan was very much pro-steroid use in MMA, maybe not out of control levels but he didn't have the issue that he seems to have with it now. He was all for calling TRT-Vitor one of the greatest fighting machines ever seen in MMA, but that opinion seems to have flipped now. He's the same on a number of other subjects (head trauma is his latest one), he'll just get a lil nugget of info in his head and run with it.

[wandshogun09]

Yeah, in general I do like Rogan but he can be annoying for that. That's my pet peeve with him. He talks like he's an expert on every subject but I don't think he's as smart as he thinks he is. He'll read a snippet of info online and go nuts with it and if he's wrong and is confronted on it he'll either shout you down or just say something like 'Hey, what do I know? I'm just an idiot who reads a lot of shit. But....' Then he goes onto reinforce whatever point he was making again.

 

Like with this Aldo thing. He apologises, says he was wrong but in the very tweet he's apologising in he posts these very selectively chosen pictures...

 

 

He can't let things drop.

 

He's the same with everything. There was a podcast he did before with some guy (I forget the guy's name, sorry) and they were debunking conspiracy theories. And Rogan went on a big long rant at the bloke because the guy disagreed with Rogan implying that the twin towers coming down on 9/11 looked like a controlled demolition. I'm sure he's spouted some absolutely goofy shite about the moon landing being fake as well. I remember him taking the piss out of Jesse Ventura once for his conspiracy theories (and yeah, Jesse is a fucking loon when it comes to that stuff) but Rogan really isn't that much better. He has to find a conspiracy or shadiness or a swerve to every single story.

 

He definitely knows his shit on certain subjects and he speaks confidently and is fairly charismatic so I think he often gets by slipping his bullshit in because of that. But he has a strong opinion on everything and he doesn't know as much as he seems to think he does about everything. That's when he fills in the cracks with utter drivel.

 

Like I said, on the whole he's been great recently. Well, most of the year really. Rewatching UFC 189 last week, I thought he did a fantastic job all night on that show. At UFC 193 he was especially great. When Goldberg went all tinfoily and was looking for excuses for why Ronda was getting destroyed and Rogan shot him down - "She's getting punched in the face. It's nothing to do with being a rockstar". Then this show he's all "Aldo looks different/nervous". I thought he was a bit of a cock to Aldo in the post-fight interview as well, to be honest. When Aldo was calling for a rematch and saying it wasn't a fight. Yeah, he was off base but the man had just been knocked unconscious and had his head bounce off the canvas like a basketball. Excuse him for not being the most lucid at that moment. Rogan's response wasn't wrong but the way he said it to Aldo was a bit dickish IMO. It was very Max Kellerman-ish.

[Chunk]

Jose Aldo got battered. Conor McGregor battered him. End of. This 'Aldo looked different/nervous' stuff is way overblown IMO. I've rewatched the fight - entrances and Buffer intros included - a few times now and I don't see any difference in Aldo whatsoever to his other fights. Physically or the way he was acting or carrying himself. He was bouncing down the aisle to 'Run This Town' as confidently as he always does. He didn't look at McGregor during the ref's instructions - he always looks down for every single fight at that point. I saw nothing different. He just got nailed with the perfect punch, on the sweet spot, and a combination of McGregor's timing and accuracy plus Aldo moving into the punch and maximising its power...that's all there is to it.

 

Even if he was nervous and looked stiff, which I'm not saying he did - I agree with you Wand, so what? To me that's part of the fight. If McGregor carries himself, builds a reputation and acts in such a way that he makes his opponents enter the octagon in a different frame of mind to one that they'd like to ... that's part of the fight surely?

 

I actually think Rogan's been on good form commentating during recent events, 193 and 194 especially. When there's an event or fight which you can tell he's really passionate about he's great and he ups his game. But he also chats a lot of shit as well. He'll throw a random comment out there - just like he's thinking out loud - but then he'll reinforce it to the point he's beating it to death.

 

 

I actually think the way he calls BJJ is great. For someone like me, who knows only the very basics, it really makes the fights more interesting to watch. I thought he did a great job in the Gunnar Nelson / Maia fight. It's not like it's an easy thing to pull off either because you're having to describe complicated body positions without being able to point or demonstrate , you're also having to do it in real time where the whole context of what's going on can change in a second.

[lambyUK]

I think you're taking it a bit too much to heart Wand. I couldn't give a shit what Rogan, or Schaub for that matters says on their podcasts. These are platforms that are there to express their opinions, some I may agree with, some I don't. It's just a bit of entertainment in the end. If Rogan didn't go off on tangents and spout shit every now and again, I'm not sure how successful his show would be. 

 

The way I see it, Rogan and Schaub have got one ear to the ground in mma and have earned the right to speak their minds, and if they thought Aldo looked nervous and "smooth" then that's their opinion. I don't think he has anything to apologise for.

 

I still stand by my personal opinion that Aldo looked nervous as fuck, his eyes and head movement were twitchy as he walked through the hall upon entering the arena. 

[David]

Having just got caught up with all the weekends MMA all I have to say is Holy Shit!

 

The wins for Rockhold and McGregor are going to make for interesting times ahead!

[Egg Shen]

how the hell did you manage to avoid spoilers Dave?

 

I knock Rogan but i love listening to his podcast, it's very entertaining but i think getting annoyed at some of the shit he spouts is half the fun.

[jimufctna24]

I think you're taking it a bit too much to heart Wand. I couldn't give a shit what Rogan, or Schaub for that matters says on their podcasts. These are platforms that are there to express their opinions, some I may agree with, some I don't. It's just a bit of entertainment in the end. If Rogan didn't go off on tangents and spout shit every now and again, I'm not sure how successful his show would be. 

I agree in regards to not giving a shit what Rogan says on his podcasts, and that his podcast's popularity hinges on "tangents" and "spouting shit".

 

However, others will take those "nods and winks" as gospel, and in turn, it will hurt the reputation of the fighter in question. Given Rogan's standing as an established UFC personality, people are going to assume he has accurate inside information, and is not merely expressing an opinion. 

[David]

how the hell did you manage to avoid spoilers Dave?

 

With a fair degree of difficulty to be fair, but somehow I managed it! 

[lambyUK]

 

I think you're taking it a bit too much to heart Wand. I couldn't give a shit what Rogan, or Schaub for that matters says on their podcasts. These are platforms that are there to express their opinions, some I may agree with, some I don't. It's just a bit of entertainment in the end. If Rogan didn't go off on tangents and spout shit every now and again, I'm not sure how successful his show would be. 

I agree in regards to not giving a shit what Rogan says on his podcasts, and that his podcast's popularity hinges on "tangents" and "spouting shit".

 

However, others will take those "nods and winks" as gospel, and in turn, it will hurt the reputation of the fighter in question. Given Rogan's standing as an established UFC personality, people are going to assume he has accurate inside information, and is not merely expressing an opinion. 

 

 

I still say so what? If you're listening to Joe Rogan's podcast then you know the score. He can be outspoken, but it's called freedom of speech. If he believes it, he has a right to express it, irrelevant of his standing. If you're dumb enough to take what he says as gospel then even more shame on that person.

 

If he were spouting this stuff on official UFC programming (and I don't count the leaked footage as even then he was careful to make sure he didn't go too far) I would agree. But this his own show, outside of the UFC.

[David]

Joe Rogan has a cheek to talk about anyone juicing. You seen the size of that cunts head? He's all fucked up on HGH and suchlike.

[lambyUK]

Joe Rogan has a cheek to talk about anyone juicing. You seen the size of that cunts head? He's all fucked up on HGH and suchlike.

But he freely admits it and he's not someone paid to physically hurt someone.

[herbie747]

Joe Rogan has a cheek to talk about anyone juicing. You seen the size of that cunts head? He's all fucked up on HGH and suchlike.

He admits he's on TRT though. He's not a fighter - it's not illegal.

[wandshogun09]

 

I actually think Rogan's been on good form commentating during recent events, 193 and 194 especially. When there's an event or fight which you can tell he's really passionate about he's great and he ups his game. But he also chats a lot of shit as well. He'll throw a random comment out there - just like he's thinking out loud - but then he'll reinforce it to the point he's beating it to death.

I actually think the way he calls BJJ is great. For someone like me, who knows only the very basics, it really makes the fights more interesting to watch. I thought he did a great job in the Gunnar Nelson / Maia fight. It's not like it's an easy thing to pull off either because you're having to describe complicated body positions without being able to point or demonstrate , you're also having to do it in real time where the whole context of what's going on can change in a second.

Definitely. That's where Rogan really shines as a commentator for me. I've said it before but when I started watching MMA regularly in 2005, I just wanted to see striking. I couldn't really get into the grappling side of it unless it was something really dramatic like Frank Mir breaking Tim Sylvia's arm in half. It was only when I saw Diego Sanchez vs Nick Diaz late that year that I started having my eyes opened to grappling. And Joe Rogan's commentary was as much a factor in that as the fight itself. You can tell how passionate he is about BJJ and that enthusiasm really comes across when there's a fight like Sanchez vs Diaz or Maia vs Nelson. Makes it much more fun to watch and get into. That's one thing that, whenever Rogan steps away, MMA will miss. I'd like to see someone like Frank Mir or Jimmy Smith replace him. They're the only ones who could, I reckon. And they're every bit as passionate as Rogan is about MMA/grappling. It's fine having a robot like Goldberg or Anik as the play-by-play guy but the colour guy should have a bit about them for me. They should be entertaining to listen to as well as knowledgeable.

 

I think you're taking it a bit too much to heart Wand.

 

Not at all. It's not keeping me awake at night or anything. But as much as I've praised him above, I do think he's often full of shit as well. This is just one such case IMO.

 

Can't believe this was a week ago.

[David]

 

Joe Rogan has a cheek to talk about anyone juicing. You seen the size of that cunts head? He's all fucked up on HGH and suchlike.

But he freely admits it and he's not someone paid to physically hurt someone.

 

 

Yeah, but he's basically a juice head who's making accusations about others that affect their reputations, and he's doing so with fuck all by way of evidence.

 

I see he's since apologised.