Joe Rogan Reacts To Stephen A. Smith Bashing ‘Cowboy’: That’s A Bad Look For Everybody

Stephe A. Smith struck a nerve with the mixed martial arts (MMA) community with his comments about Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone on the UFC 246 post-fight show last week.

Cerrone had just lost to Conor McGregor in 40 seconds of their pay-per-view (PPV) main event. After the fight, Smith expressed how “disgusted” he was with Cerrone’s performance, before proceeding to bash the longtime UFC veteran. Alongside him during those comments was longtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan. Rogan mentioned on the broadcast that he disagreed with Smith, but didn’t go into too much detail.

That all changed during a recent episode of Rogan’s podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” alongside Josh Thomson. Rogan suggested that, had he done the broadcast like someone such as Daniel Cormier, it would’ve been better for the sport. (H/T MMA Junkie)

“(Daniel Cormier) and I would’ve had a completely different conversation and it would’ve been better for the sport,” Rogan said. “There’s no positive in downplaying the career of Donald Cerrone and what he can do as a fighter. What that showed to me is how phenomenal Conor performed. That’s what it showed to me.

“If either you or I was talking about cricket, and we were on TV doing commentary on cricket, we would look out of place. It would be (expletive) up and real cricket fans would be upset at us. That’s nothing. You are naked in the most literal sense of the word (in MMA). Physically, you are naked. Emotionally, when fighters lose, it’s (expletive) devastating.

“For Conor to smash ‘Cowboy’ like that in front of his wife, his kid, his grandma and the whole world. You’ve got to have some respect for that man, and this sport demands a different perspective. It’s not the same thing as a ball going into a hoop. It’s not the same thing as crossing a line with a football. It’s different. It’s very intense and very personal, and it’s also very (expletive) dangerous and to play it off like it’s just a game, I don’t agree with it.”

Rogan understands that Smith is a household name in sports broadcasting and why ESPN added him to the program. However, the longtime UFC commentator simply believes his comments are a bad look on the sport.

“That’s a bad look for everybody,” Rogan said. “It’s a bad look for ESPN, it’s a bad look for him, it’s a bad look for the sport. There’s other people that can do this. … We have plenty of people out there who understand the sport. There’s plenty of them. But the thing about him is he’s really popular.

“(He just got a contract extension) because his personality is so fun. He’s a fun guy to watch and people love (expletive)-talking and they love people arguing about (expletive) and one person is better at arguing. Stephen A. Smith is really good at that stuff. But it’s not the place for MMA. It’s just not the place. It’s not the same thing.”

What do you think about Rogan’s comments regarding Smith being on UFC broadcasts?