On episode #2510 of The Joe Rogan Experience, host Joe Rogan pushed back on arm wrestling legend Devon Larratt after Larratt described arm wrestling as a combat sport.
The exchange carried an unusual undertone: Larratt is a former member of Canada’s elite special forces unit JTF2, with multiple combat tours in Afghanistan, while Rogan has no military background, yet still offered his own framing of modern combat.
The discussion began when Larratt said, “We’re a combat sport that relies heavily on strength,” he said.
Rogan immediately challenged the classification. “It’s interesting you consider it a combat sport,” he responded.
Larratt doubled down, insisting, “It’s 100% combat sport,” he said.
Rogan pressed further, questioning the logic behind the label. “Why so? Because it’s not applicable to real figh ting. So why do you call it a combat sport?” he asked.
Larratt explained his reasoning, pointing to the technical exchange, adaptability, and one-on-one competition involved in the sport.
He also referenced mixed martial arts as a comparison, saying, “I love the UFC, but I consider it a combat sport, you know,” he said.
Rogan agreed that MMA clearly fits the definition without hesitation. But when Larratt brought up f*rea*ms and real-world violence, Rogan drew a distinction between weapons and physical competition.
“Of course, but that’s not a sport. I mean, it is a sport in terms of like being able to sh*ot accurately and stuff like that, but you’re using an external device. You’re using a weapon, right? With your physical body, combat sports,” Rogan said.
Larratt then made his point, stating, “When it comes to sport, arm wrestling falls for me into that combat sector, where two people are engaging in a fig ht, a metaphorical fig ht against each other,” he said.
He then laid out his technical argument for why arm wrestling still fits within that broader combat sports category. “If it wasn’t a combat sport, the stronger guy would normally win. And it normally does. But if I could get a guy who’s been practicing arm wrestling for like four or five years, they’ll beat anybody who isn’t practicing. It’s the same thing as a jiu-jitsu guy. If you give a jiu-jitsu guy like four or five years on the mat and you get Brian Shaw or some giant to come in, who’s going to win?” he said.
The conversation ultimately settled with Rogan arriving, through his own reasoning, at a conclusion Larratt had effectively started from. Rogan, whose last competitive combat sport experience dates back decades, and who has never served in the military, is effectively defining what “combat” means while debating a man who spent years in elite special forces.
