Joe Rogan wants one UFC regulation to be changed: "I don't think the rules are right"
Joe Rogan has shared his thoughts on the MMA rules followed by the UFC and suggested some changes. The veteran commentator specified that he liked how the now-defunct PRIDE FC conducted its fights and pointed out which regulation the UFC should change.
During a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast with mixed martial arts legend Royce Gracie (JRE MMA Show #156), the 56-year-old outlined a rule that should be adopted by the UFC. He opined that the first round of every fight should be 10 minutes long and said:
"I think PRIDE had good rules, a 10-minute first round was better. I think 10 minutes is better. Especially if someone works really hard. Four minutes and thirty seconds, you finally take the guy down, and now you're on top and trying to set things up but the bell rings, and then you start standing up again."
After Gracie agreed and even suggested 15-minute first rounds, Rogan continued:
"The problem is, they've stopped changing the rules. Rules are the rules now... I don't think the rules are right. I think, if a guy takes you down, you should have to earn a standup. You have to get back up to your feet… If that’s the end of the round, you start from the same position."
Watch the full JRE MMA show #156 below:
Rogan later stated that they could incorporate large-size screens above the cage to establish the position in which both fighters ended the round. As the next round begins, both fighters resume the fight in the same position they finished the previous round.
When Joe Rogan stirred controversy by calling for the legalization of strikes to the back of the head
Joe Rogan isn't the biggest fan of the Unified Rules of MMA and has been vocal about how adding more regulation has ruined the sport. Last year, the longtime UFC commentator called for strikes to the back of the head to be legalized and explained his point.
During an episode of the JRE MMA Show (#137) with Jorge Masvidal, Rogan outlined that since plenty of knockouts involved the fighter getting hit in a similar manner, banning back-of-the-head shots wasn't necessary. Explaining that the rules "doesn't make sense" to him, he said:
"I don't even know if we should stop hitting people in the back of the head, it doesn't make any sense to me. Because a lot of knockouts, like high kicks, they wrap around the back of the shoulder and right to the back of your head and it's legal, the guy gets KO'd... If you have their back, and the head is there, all this punching just to the side is not realistic."
Watch the full episode below: