Brendan Schaub reacts to Joe Rogan accusing Alex Pereira of "sanctioned cheating" in Israel Adesanya clash
Brendan Schaub has weighed in on Joe Rogan's opinion on Alex Pereira's size and the massive weight cut that is needed for the Brazilian to compete at middleweight.
In a recent episode of the Joe Rogan Experience (#1900) with Steve-O, Rogan labeled this weight cut as "sanctioned cheating" due to fighters cutting significant amounts of body mass in order to face lighter or smaller opponents. The fighters then rehydrate themselves within 24 hours after weigh-ins to step into the octagon while significantly exceeding the weight limit of their division.
On a recent episode of The Schaub Show, 'Big Brown' reacted to the accusations made by Rogan about Pereira's size advantage.
"It can be an advantage. Especially if you're good at it. With Pereira... I wouldn't call it cheating. They literally weighed the same on the scale, and then he balloons back up. That's what makes Pereira kind of special, he can cut that weight and still have cardio for five rounds."
Watch Brendan Schaub's full episode below:
Alex Pereira beat Israel Adesanya at UFC 281 to be crowned the new middleweight champion. 'Poatan' emerged victorious after finishing the Nigerian-born Kiwi in the fifth round. Pereira now holds a 3-0 record over Adesanya, having previously won against his rival twice in the sport of kickboxing.
When Joe Rogan claimed weight cutting is a worse form of cheating than using PEDs
On a previous episode of the Joe Rogan Experience (JRE MMA Show #38) with Gaston Bolanos and Kirian Fitzgibbons, Rogan claimed that extreme weight cutting is a worse form of cheating than using PEDs (performance-enhancing drugs).
Speaking about the unfairness of fighters regaining body mass after their official weigh-ins and coming in heavier against their opponents, the popular podcast host said:
"It’s sanctioned cheating and it’s cheating at a much higher scale even than PEDs. That’s a much greater advantage than someone who's doing some sort of testosterone thing or something...They’re compromised but the benefit of being so much larger might outweigh being compromised."
Watch Joe Rogan's full comments in the video below:
On a more recent episode of Rogan's podcast with Steve-O (#1900), he reiterated his opinion on Alex Pereira having an advantage over other middleweights due to his size. The Brazilian is believed to have cut up to 35 pounds to compete in the 185 division.
Watch Joe Rogan and Steve-O talk about the main event of UFC 281 below: