"I knew that guy was special in 2013" - Joe Rogan recalls when he first noticed Conor McGregor
Joe Rogan knew about Conor McGregor even before 'Notorious' joined the UFC. In a recent episode of the Joe Rogan Experience, the commentator described his initial interactions with the former two-division UFC champion.
According to Rogan, when he saw Conor McGregor fighting in the British MMA promotion, Cage Warriors in England, he knew the Irishman was special. Rogan apparently reached out to Conor McGregor on Twitter after watching him fight. The pair had a little back-and-forth on the social media platform where Rogan told McGregor he'd be honored to call his fights someday.
Rogan further stated that when he watched Conor McGregor's fights online, he couldn't help but be amazed at how the Irishman moved inside the octagon.
"I knew that guy was special in 2013. I was watching him in England. I reached out to him on Twitter. Like we had a little Twitter back and forth in 2013, and I said I hope to be calling your fights one day in the UFC. It's documented somewhere. Him and I going back and forth together because I saw him fight online and I was like 'this kid is doing, he's moving in a very special way."
Check out Rogan's comments from the podcast below:
The rise and fall of 'The Notorious' Conor McGregor
Well, that same year in April, Conor McGregor made his UFC debut and took the featherweight division by storm with a devastating knockout win over Marcus Brimage. He then went on to tear through the 145 lbs division before creating history by becoming the first Irishman to win a UFC title at UFC 194.
McGregor didn't stop at that. He climbed up to the lightweight division to become the first-ever simultaneous two-division champion in the UFC, that too, in his first fight in the division. The Irishman then switched over to boxing and took on undefeated legend Floyd Mayweather in a titanic clash which earned him a $100 million payday.
Conor McGregor changed the game forever. However, in doing so, he appears to have burned himself out. 'The Notorious' has had only one win inside the octagon since 2016, and after breaking his leg this month against Dustin Poirier, it's difficult to believe he will be able to fight for the title again.