Joe Rogan tells the chilling story of a boxer who KOed opponent to death after teasing him about being gay

Recently, Joe Rogan talked a bit about the brutal world boxing. The conversation was sparked during the discussion about the many fatalities the sport has seen within the squared circle.

The horrifying anecdote involving the boxer Emile Griffith was then described by Rogan.

According to Joe, the boxer went a bit overboard in response to homophobic and derogatory slurs.

UFC commentator described the devastating fallout of the bout between Emile Griffith and Benny Paret on episode #1918 of The Joe Rogan Experience:

“Benny Paret was killed by Emile Griffith. Emile Griffith beat him to death in the ring after Benny Paret teased him for being gay. He kept talking sh*t about him being gay. He beat him to death.”

Emile Griffith came out as bisexual in 1962, a stance that was clearly far less common back then. Paret went overboard at the weigh-in as he believed his opponent was gay. As Griffith stepped on the scale, Paret called his rival a “maricon,” which both men knew meant the homophobic slur “fa**ot” in portuguese and allegedly grabbed his behind.

This same slur would end up being used by UFC champion Fabrizio Werdum years later in infamous incident with Tony Ferguson.

Midway through the 12th round, Griffith cornered Paret and started landing a barrage of punches to the Cuban’s head. Griffith delivered 18 straight blows in less than six seconds before being removed from the ring by the referee, Ruby Goldstein. Sadly, it was already too late.

Griffith ended up winning by knockout, but Paret never regained consciousness and died 10 days later.

There’s been a number of fatalities lately, and oddly more of them are in the world of Boxing. Brain bleeds in particular are proving detrimental for boxers.

Have there been any MMA deaths in history?

MMA is one of the quickest growing sports right now. However, the hazards associated with the sport go well beyond cuts and black eyes.

No fatalities have occurred in well-known MMA promotions like UFC and Bellator. However, throughout the years, there have been a few fatalities in the sport from injuries incurred in different promotions and in training.

UFC veteran Tim Hague lost his life in 2017 after a knock out during a boxing match. He spent 10 years in UFC and other mixed martial arts circuits before he was cut from the UFC roster in 2011. After his release, he wrote on Facebook that he needed time to heal from a concussion.

Hague was 1-2 as a boxer and took on Adam Bradiwood on short notice at a local promotion. He was knocked down four times during the bout.  After the knockout, he managed to walk to his dressing room, then lapsed into a coma.

Hague’s MMA record stood at 21 wins and 13 losses. He was 33 at the time of his passing. His death sparked a number of regulatory checks in Canada.

One of the earliest boxers competitors  reported to have passed away from injuries suffered during a sports event was Sammy Vasquez of Renegades Extreme. On October 20, 2007, in Houston, Texas, Vince Libardi knocked out Vasquez in the third round. The 35-year-old had a subdural hemorrhage and fell into a coma and passed away.

A few years later, Booto Guylain of the EFC passed away from wounds sustained during a bout. At EFC 27, Guylain was brutally defeated by Keron Davies in the third round via TKO. Guylain lost his life the month after receiving a diagnosis of brain enlargement and hemorrhage.