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| Photo: Joe Rogan / Instagram |
Joe Rogan, now famous as the voice of the UFC, once had a promising career in combat sports. But a terrifying moment in the ring made him walk away from competition for good.
Rogan started training in karate and taekwondo at 14. By 19, he had won the U.S. Open Taekwondo Championship and was seen as a rising star. However, an experience during a tournament changed everything.
Speaking on his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan recalled what happened. “I was very enthusiastic about fighting until I was 19,” he said. “It was a time I never recovered from.”
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| Photo: Joe Rogan / Instagram |
At a national championship in Anaheim, California, Rogan faced a competitor from Illinois. During the fight, Rogan landed a devastating spinning kick to his opponent’s head. “It’s a move with insane power,” Rogan explained. “I hit him perfectly. He went out, face first, and didn’t wake up for half an hour.”
Rogan watched as the unconscious fighter was taken away on a stretcher. “I have no idea what happened to him. It freaked me out,” he admitted.
Rogan continued to compete that day but lost. Afterward, he returned to Boston and spoke to his coach about the incident. His coach’s response shocked him. “He said, ‘Sometimes they die,’” Rogan recalled. “I was 19, fighting for no money, and I started thinking—this could happen to me, too.”
That moment marked the end of Rogan’s fighting career. He no longer had the same passion for competing.
Thankfully, Rogan found a new path in combat sports. In the early 2000s, he became the UFC’s color commentator and helped grow the sport into what it is today. At 57, Rogan remains a key figure in MMA, but his story is a reminder of how dangerous combat sports can be. Source
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