Few voices carry as much weight as Joe Rogan’s when it comes to martial arts. The veteran UFC commentator has been instrumental in reshaping public perception about which fighting techniques truly work in actual combat situations.
During a conversation with fellow MMA commentator Michael Schiavello recorded 14 years ago, Rogan didn’t hold back his criticism of traditional martial arts, particularly Kung Fu and its “trapping hands” technique.
“Even the worst is like Kung Fu like [trapping hands] but does nothing. It’s amazing how many guys still believe it,” Rogan stated during the discussion. “These dudes, like, have dedicated like a big chunk of their life practicing this nonsense… I love watching all that nonsense be exposed because I was a victim of it myself, to a certain extent.”
Schiavello shared similar sentiments, noting how mixed martial arts has challenged longstanding assumptions about traditional fighting styles.
“That’s one of the beauties of mixed martial arts, isn’t it? It has debunked a lot of the myths of traditional martial arts,” Schiavello remarked. “You look at old stuff like Funakoshi and old Shotokan videos and you’d see magazines with different sequences… And you can’t use this stuff in mixed martial arts, you know. Debunked the myths.”
Rogan’s perspective on traditional martial arts appears to have evolved somewhat over time. In a 2021 conversation with actor Robert Downey Jr., who mentioned his martial arts training since taking on the role of Sherlock Holmes in 2009, Rogan acknowledged that elements of Wing Chun have been effectively utilized in the UFC by former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson.
“We rarely see it [Wing Chun] in the UFC but one of the best fighters in the UFC uses it regularly: Tony Ferguson,” Rogan explained. “Tony Ferguson uses trapping hands. He grabs wrists and comes over the top with elbows. He does straight Wing Chun. He does it all the time and even practices on a wooden wooden dummy.”
This acknowledgment suggests a more nuanced view from Rogan regarding certain traditional techniques when adapted to modern combat contexts. Nonetheless, his initial criticism helped usher in an era of greater skepticism toward martial arts claims that couldn’t be validated in competitive fighting environments.
