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Joe Rogan no longer wants to interview KOed fighters after awkward exchange with Overeem
Just minutes after being knocked unconscious in the main event of UFC 203, a still-foggy Alistair Overeem stood with UFC commentator Joe Rogan for his customary post-fight interview.
As Overeem was offering his thoughts on the fight, the former Strikeforce champion let Rogan and the Cleveland audience know that he thought he felt his opponent Stipe Miocic tap out while in a guillotine choke early in the first round.
“Stipe was the better man today. He’s a great athlete, he’s tough, he always comes to fight,” Overeem told Rogan. “There’s one thing I can say about the fight. I believe when I punched him and he went down. I followed him, I got him in a guillotine choke and I clearly felt a tap. The ref didn’t see it, the ref didn’t jump in, so the fight continued. In my opinion, he tapped and it’s a bummer. Going to have to go back to the drawing board. I feel like I am the better fighter, but not today … but he clearly tapped.”
Rogan, unsure of whether the cameras may have missed the aforementioned tap, asked the production truck to queue up the replay of the guillotine. And after two different angles and no sign of a tap from Miocic, Overeem stood beside Rogan with a bewildered look on his face.
The awkward exchange prompted Rogan to speak out about how uncomfortable his is speaking to fighters who have just suffered massive brain trauma in the form of a knockout. Rogan, who has worked UFC events dating back to 1997, has talked to enough fighters to know Overeem’s statements were likely more than a bald-faced lie.
It’ll be interesting to see how the UFC handles Rogan’s request, especially since there is plenty of validity in his statements. It’s great for the fans and media to hear from the loser of a big fight immediately after in the Octagon, but Rogan feels it shouldn’t be prioritized over the continued medical attention of a fighter recovering from a knockout.
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