So, I’ve been watching UFC for ages, pretty much since the early days when it started getting big. Back then, I just watched the fights, you know? Didn’t really pay too much attention to who was talking over the action. It was just background noise to the punches and kicks.
But then, I started noticing this one guy, Joe Rogan. It wasn’t like a sudden thing. It was more like, over time, I started recognizing his voice. He had this crazy energy. I remember watching a few specific fights, maybe GSP’s dominance or Anderson Silva’s crazy knockouts, and his reactions were just wild. He’d be screaming, completely losing it. That kinda made me start paying attention more. Who is this guy?
So I began actively listening when he was on. Not just having the TV on, but actually focusing on what he was saying during the fights. I watched how he interacted with the other commentators, like Mike Goldberg back in the day. Joe was the one bringing the hype, the raw emotion. He also seemed to know a lot about the ground game, the jiu-jitsu stuff. I actually picked up on some details about submissions just from listening to him explain it.
My Observations Over Time
As I kept watching event after event, year after year, I formed some pretty solid impressions. Here’s what I noticed:
- His Excitement: Man, nobody gets hyped like Joe. When something big happens, he explodes. That energy is infectious, I gotta admit. It definitely adds to the viewing experience sometimes.
- The Knowledge: Especially with grappling, he often pointed out little details you might miss. He clearly trained and understood that aspect well.
- The Catchphrases: After a while, though, I started hearing the same things over and over. “OHHHHHH!”, “He tagged him!”, “He’s hurt!”, “It is ALL OVER!”. It became a bit predictable.
- The Bias Thing: Yeah, I definitely felt like sometimes he had his favorites. You could just tell by his tone who he was pulling for, or who impressed him more. It wasn’t always objective, you know? Sometimes it felt like he was commentating more as a fan than a neutral observer.
I spent a lot of time just observing this. I didn’t read articles about it, I just watched the shows and listened. I compared his style to the play-by-play guys like Jon Anik, who are more straight down the line. It’s a different role, for sure. Rogan’s role seemed to be the expert analyst who also brought the raw fan reaction.
So, after all this time watching and listening, what’s my take? He’s definitely part of the UFC furniture. When I tune into a big PPV event now, I expect him to be there. I know what I’m going to get: the hype, the occasional repetitive phrase, maybe a bit of bias, but also that genuine passion and sometimes good technical insight, especially on the ground.
I guess I’ve just come to accept it as part of the whole package. It’s Joe Rogan. Love him or find him annoying, his commentary is tangled up with my experience of watching the UFC for so long. It is what it is, you know? Just one guy’s observation from watching way too many fights over the years.
