Joe Rogan critical of UFC for Bisping vs. St-Pierre: 'Why have a champion at all?'

UFC's commentator believes the championships are being devaluted by fights like Bisping vs. St-Pierre

While new UFC owners Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell, the CEOs and super agents behind WME-IMG, have yet to speak to the mixed martial arts media since purchasing the fight promotion for $4 billion last July, their first eight months have been highly scrutinized.  

From the creation of unnecessary interim titles to the booking of high-profile fights that undermine the company’s own divisional rankings system, the decisions of new management have given UFC’s critics plenty of fuel. Longtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan can now be considered among that group.  

Appearing last week as a guest on ESPN’s “5ive Rounds” podcast, Rogan spoke at length about the UFC’s decision to match middleweight champion Michael Bisping against former welterweight king Georges St-Pierre, who announced his return to the octagon following a temporary retirement in 2013. 

“I see Michael Bisping’s point that he deserves that big-money fight, but as a person who deeply respects the position of champion, if you are going to do this whole interim title thing and you are going to have guys come back after being out of the sport for three years and get a shot right at the title, why have f---ing championships at all?” Rogan said.  

“Why have a champion at all? To just set up great fights. Bisping and GSP is a great fight. [But] if you’re going to have a title [and Bisping] is the champion of the world, than the champion should be defending his title against the No. 1 challenger in the world. And that is Yoel Romero.” 

Rogan, who began his run with the company as a backstage interviewer at UFC 12 in 1997, said he fully understands the logic behind maximizing St-Pierre’s drawing power on pay-per-view and loves Bisping-GSP as an actual fight. However, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have fears about what kind of message that sends to those who are more deserving at 170 pounds. 

“I don’t like it as far as the hierarchy of the division,” Rogan continued in his conversation with ESPN. “I think that as far as the division goes it’s not good at all. It sort of hijacks the whole situation. I think, if [GSP] wins the title, he’s probably going to vacate it and fight some other money fight -- if I had to guess. 

“If you have a champion and you have all these people that are waiting in line to get a shot at this champion, the person who is perceived to be the best in that division is the one who should be fighting the champion next. The champion should always be fighting the No. 1 available challenger.” 

While Rogan admitted he doesn’t agree with many of the UFCs recent decisions, including the creation of multiple interim titles, he doesn’t fear what it will do to the sport on a long-term basis. 

“I’m not concerned because there are great fighters and you get them together and you make great fights,” Rogan said. “I’m not concerned at that.” 

What does worry Rogan is how certain star fighters have been presented as being bigger than the division in which they compete.  

“This was something that really bothered me about the Ronda Rousey-Amanda Nunes fight,” Rogan said. “I’m like, ‘Look, you’re doing all of these amazing promos, they are fantastic, but you are only highlighting this one fighter. You are only highlighting Ronda Rousey. The other woman is the champion. She’s the champion of the world and that’s a very important distinction. That has to be respected.” 

At a news conference on March 3 to announce St-Pierre fight, which does not yet have a date, Bisping attempted to quiet concerns by saying he would defend his title against GSP and be willing to fight come right back six weeks later to fight Romero.  

Rogan isn’t buying it.  

“I wouldn’t believe that if I was Yoel Romero. When was the last time anybody ever did that?” Rogan said. “Has anybody ever defended the title against a former world champion and all-time great and then, six weeks later, defended the title again? Come on, get out of here, that’s not happening.  

“I see [Bisping] drunk in Vegas in like English flag underwear having a great time. I think he’s going to make a giant payday and that’s good for him. I get it.”