‘He Knew I Was Going To Kill Him’

Celebrity bouts in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) almost happened sooner than the Phillip “CM Punk” Brooks experiment from 2016 to 2018.

Joe Rogan and UFC have been synonymous since the well-known comedian started working as a color commentator in 1997. Throughout his numerous ventures, Rogan has maintained training to some extent in martial arts and at a time was approached by UFC regarding a potential clash with notable actor, Wesley Snipes.

Ultimately, the match up never came together and Rogan believes it was for good reason.

“I think because he knew I was going to kill him,” Rogan said on The Joe Rogan Experience (h/t MiddleEasy). “I think in the beginning he thought that he would be able to stuff takedowns, and he would kick my ass. Then he found out, no, I’m a taekwondo champion, and I’m a kickboxer. I’m way better at standing up than I am on the ground.

“I don’t know what happened, but there was a bunch of different demands,” he continued. “At first, it was going to be 50/50 and then he wanted to be 60/40, and I’d agreed to everything. Finally, it was like, okay, give me just this amount of money and give him whatever else the f—k you want. I’m like, I’m going to f—king strangle that guy, let me get a hold of him. It never happened.”

With celebrity fighting taking off in recent years, specifically in the boxing world, UFC has maintained a stance against those types of bouts. Coincidentally, celebrity and YouTuber-turned-boxer, Jake Paul, continues his pursuit of boxing credibility when he faces Andre August this weekend (Fri., Dec. 15, 2023).