Joe Rogan is a Badass… Here’s Some Archive Footage of the UFC Commentator’s Taekwondo Days, Where He Lands a Devastating Spinning Back Kick KO…
There are two bald men in their 50s, whose names are synonymous with the UFC: Dana White and Joe Rogan. The latter is definitely the most popular. He’s been a commentator for the organization since 1997 and is also a famous comedian and podcast host.
Rogan lives and breathes martial arts. We all know about that feud with Wesley Snipes, way back in 2005, where he was supposed to fight the actor in an octagon. He’s got a black belt in Taekwondo and has represented the United States in international competitions. He’s also an experienced practitioner of Gracie and 10th Planet Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
In the footage below you can see just how devastating his kicks are. The speed and timing of this spinning back kick is simply sublime.
Walk-Off KO
Taekwondo is one of the most popular martial arts in the world. There are two styles led by different governing bodies – the World Taekwondo Federation and the International Taekwondo Federation. The former is the Olympic style, which doesn’t permit punches to the head. They also wear body armour, as you can see by Rogan and his opponent.
Rogan spins rapidly, smashing his opponent to the floor of the basketball court that they’re competing in. You can see it’s old school just by the lack of mats. The comedian said that when he started Muay Thai, it totally changed his world, but there’s no doubt that Taekwondo is an excellent supplementary martial art for MMA fighters.
Devastating
Rogan is a fitness fanatic. As you can see from the video above, he’s still got it, even though he’s passed the 50 mark now. His cardio, dynamism and flexibility would put many people half his age to shame. He goes through a range of different kicks, including the reverse roundhouse, spinning back kick, tornado kicks, and question mark kicks.
The sheer range of motion that he is able to demonstrate is very impressive. That’s the advantage of starting a martial art like Taekwondo from a young age because it’s easier to maintain flexibility in middle-age than it is to gain flexibility (although still a challenge!)
True Martial Art
In his later years, Rogan has developed a deep respect for grappling martial arts like BJJ and wrestling. The latter is the component that he currently believes to be most important for contemporary MMA fighters. However, there is a purity to BJJ that he loves, because a small person with good technique can beat a big person with no technique. He said:
“Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo and wrestling… those are absolutes in that you have control of the body. And once you grab a hold of another person’s body, there’s no lucky triangle chokes in Jiu-Jitsu.
My experience with Jiu-Jitsu was very humbling when I first started out. I had a long background in martial arts, in striking. I even wrestled in high school. And then I started taking Jiu-Jitsu. And then a guy who was my size, and I was young at the time, and I was young at the age, just mauled me. And he wasn’t even a black belt. I think he was a purple belt. Just destroyed me.”
