Joe Rogan used his platform on JRE MMA Show #185 with rising UFC bantamweight Ethyn Ewing to lay out a comparison between how boxing promoters build athletes and how the UFC schedules its cards, arguing that boxing’s approach protects athletes in ways the UFC’s model does not.
Rogan framed the difference around who the sport bends for.
“It’s like I’ve done a lot of comparisons, but that’s to me where the MMA guys are just more down to go and do their thing. They’ll compete against anybody at any given time,” Ewing said.
This prompted Rogan to press on whether that willingness is a choice or a structural necessity, saying, “Is that by decision though or is that by necessity?”
Rogan explained the scheduling reality plainly: “They schedule fig ht card. They schedule matches around cards. They don’t schedule cards around matches.” He continued, “So if you like say if Canelo Alvarez is competing against someone, it is whenever Canelo is ready to compete, that’s when the card takes place… With the UFC, it’s like the UFC is coming to Salt Lake City, October 3rd. Who’s there? Like, we’re going to have a fig ht. Who’s going to be on the fig ht?”
That structural gap, Rogan argued, is why boxing operates with a business mindset that shields athletes.
Ewing brought up Floyd Mayweather as the clearest example, saying, “Look at Floyd Mayweather. He made sure that the the cage was his side. He picked the gloves. It was certain people at certain times. And there’s some things to be said about that, but it’s a business mindset. It’s a very smart approach to it. You know, I’m competing when I’m ready. I’m not competing injured.”
The conversation also touched on Alexander Volkanovski, whom Rogan cited as a cautionary example of the UFC’s scheduling pressure. Volkanovski took a title rematch against Islam Makhachev on short notice without a proper camp, was knocked out, then returned just four months later against Ilia Topuria.
“That is crazy. That’s a crazy thing to do,” Rogan said. “He took a full head kick, shinned the dome, gets knocked out, and then four months later he’s competing against the scariest challenger that he’s ever had to face.”
Ewing agreed that recovery timelines get rushed in MMA.
“You can’t rush back into those things. I mean, especially when you’re that cemented, you don’t really need to rush back into it, right? You know, you have your legacy behind you,” he said.
Rogan closed the thread noting that boxing’s culture, where fans follow athletes rather than promoters, gives boxers leverage the UFC’s single dominant organization does not allow.
“No one cares who the promoter is in boxing,” Rogan said. “With the UFC, it’s a very different animal. So, if you get a call for the UFC, like, oh my god, we’re in the big leagues.”
