While Conor McGregor no doubt looked impressive in stopping Chad Mendes in the second round of their interim title fight in July, UFC commentator Joe Rogan won’t be calling “The Notorious” one “champ” anytime soon.
Joe Rogan spoke about McGregor’s interim title on the latest edition of his “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, calling McGregor’s title “an illegitimate belt.”
Below is an excerpt from the 1:03:00 minute mark of the show.
“Belts are bullsh*t. Who cares,” Rogan said. “It’s the best fighters vs. the best fighters. We all know who the best fighters are, right? Have the best fighters fight the best guys. when you beat the best guy, you’re the best fighter.”
“Let’s be honest. McGregor has an illegitimate belt,” Rogan continued. “It’s a made up belt. We call it the ‘interim’ belt but Aldo defended his title a year ago. Stripping a guy because he doesn’t— because he can’t get through a camp without getting injured is a part of MMA. It’s always been a part of MMA. But, because of the marketing, because of the hype behind it, because of the HUGE event, the enormity, the economics of the event, they decide to make [McGregor vs. Mendes] an interim fight. He’s got a title. Aldo’s got a title. They both have titles. So they’re fighting for the undisputed title.”
Rogan concluded, “Wouldn’t it be better if they just fought? We know how big Conor is. We know how big Aldo is. Let’s go fight, guys!”
McGregor and Aldo will fight to unify the UFC Featherweight Championship in the main event of UFC 194 on December 12, 2015 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
H/T: BloodyElbow.com
