He may be the first and only Irish fighter to win a UFC strap, but Joe Rogan reckons Conor McGregor’s interim strap isn’t worth a whole lot.
McGregor claimed the interim featherweight title when he knocked out Chad Mendes at UFC 189. The Notorious was originally scheduled to take on Jose Aldo at the event, but the Brazilian was forced out of the contest with a rib injury, demoting the main event from a championship fight to an interim title clash.
UFC colour commentator Joe Rogan admitted not being a massive fan of MMA belts in general in a recent episode of his podcast.
“Belts are bullshit. Who cares? 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.”
The former Fear Factor host added that he feels McGregor’s belt in particular holds little meaning in his eyes. Rogan implied that the UFC decided to make McGregor vs Mendes an interim title fight in order to capitalise on the hype behind the event after Aldo’s withdrawal.
“Let’s be honest. McGregor has an illegitimate belt. 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. 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!”
Luckily for Rogan, and fight fans across the globe, the two warriors are set to throw down at UFC 194 in December.
Hat-tip to BJ Penn
