Joe Rogan criticized the UFC’s decision not to retain undefeated Farid Basharat, saying athletes should not be dropped simply because their style is considered unexciting. Robert Whittaker agreed, and the two argued that winning should matter more than meeting expectations for spectacle.
Rogan raised Basharat’s case in an episode of the JRE podcast while discussing the sport’s preference for chaotic, action-heavy contests. “Undefeated. Got cut,” he said, before recalling Basharat’s comments after what Rogan understood to be his final UFC bout.
Rogan remembered telling him, “I’m sure you’re going to get another contract,” because he was undefeated.
Rogan then objected to the idea that an athlete must be exciting to keep a place on the roster. He said, “I don’t like that. I don’t like that thinking that you have to be uber excited.”
He noted that Basharat was skilled and undefeated, while acknowledging that he did not know the details behind the decision.
“I’m talking out of school,” Rogan said. “I didn’t talk to Dana or Sean Shelby or Mick Maynard. I don’t know what happened.”
Still, he made his view clear: “I don’t like when a guy gets cut that wants to keep competing in the UFC. He’s undefeated just because you think he’s boring.”
Rogan suggested matching a less explosive athlete with someone who would force a more engaging contest: “Put him in with someone who’s exciting. Put him in with someone who pushes him and makes it a crazy match.”
His point was that athletes should be allowed to use their skills and make smart decisions. “If a guy’s competing and winning, you keep competing and you keep winning,” he said.
Rogan questioned whether Khamzat Chimaev should be excluded after a title-winning performance that some viewers considered dull. “Everyone’s trying to win,” he said. “You’re trying to win a match. Matches are complicated.”
Whittaker backed that argument by pointing to athlete pay.
“If you look at your contracts as well, it’s like that to show and to win bonus,” he said. “You get more money winning.” Rogan agreed that the incentives reinforce the basic goal: victory.
Rogan also brought up Michael Page, saying the UFC had not offered him a new contract after his latest win. He noted that Page had only one UFC loss to Ian Garry.
“I am a purist and I believe combat is combat,” Rogan said. “If someone has a style like that, it’s up to someone else to figure out how to beat it.”
