Joe Rogan, a long-time expert in the UFC, has some controversial statements and vision for the future of MMA.
“I don’t even know if we should stop hitting people in the back of the head. It doesn’t seem to make any sense to me. Because a lot of knockouts like high kicks, they wrap around the back of the shoulder and they go right to the back of your head, and it’s legal. The guy gets KOd,” Rogan said Masvidal in a new episode of his podcast.
Rogan even provided an illustration to support his claim.
“Like Ciryl Gane and Junior Dos Santos. Gane kind of hit him with an elbow in the back of the head. It’s like, it should be legal. I don’t understand why it’s not legal. And people say you’re more vulnerable there, don’t get f—ng hit there.”
The dangerous practice of “rabbit punching,” which refers to strikes to the back of the head and neck area, is strictly forbidden in all combat sports due to the high risk of causing severe and irreversible damage to the brain stem, cervical vertebrae, and spinal cord.
Tragically, Prichard Colón, a talented Puerto Rican fighter, suffered life-altering brain injuries during a 2015 bout against Terrel Williams, effectively ending his career. Colón reportedly remained in a vegetative state for years after falling into a coma.
Despite the risks, Joe Rogan has sparked controversy by suggesting that rabbit striking should be permitted in MMA, citing its use in the early days of the sport. Read on to discover more about this contentious issue and the potential consequences of allowing rabbit punching in MMA.
“Eddie Bravo’s talked about this all the time. In the old days of MMA, when a guy got someone’s back, they would just drop elbows down on his head. Back of the head. If you have the back and the head is there, all this punching just to the side is not realistic.”
Given his tone, Joe Rogan appeared to be taking his comments seriously, but that is probably to be expected from a self-described “jackass” who hosts a “drunken, ridiculous podcast.”