Joe Rogan used a recent conversation to lay out his theory on which sports best prepare athletes for mixed martial arts, pointing specifically to basketball as a major factor for big athletes. The discussion started when Rogan brought up Ciryl Gane, the heavyweight UFC star from France.
“He’s a freak,” Rogan said. “He has changed my thoughts on bases like for sports to entry. Well, he’s a Muay Thai athlete, but here’s the point. He played basketball.”
From there, Rogan expanded on why he believes basketball translates so well to the cage. “This is why I think basketball is a huge factor for big athletes in particular. If you can play good at basketball, the thing about being good at basketball is you have to be able to change direction constantly.”
“Tennis would be a good one, but it’s not constant. It’s bump bump bump. Basketball, you’re constantly engaging. There’s a ball and people and it’s all about juking and movement and it’s all about misdirection. That’s huge with striking.”
He pointed to Gane’s size and movement as proof of the connection. “You can get a guy as big as Ciryl Gane. So, he’s 248 lb (112 kg), but moves like a cat. And I think a big part of that is he spent so much time. It’s like plyometrics.”
He continued, “Like, you’re doing constant plyometrics when you’re doing basketball. Plus, hand eye coordination cuz you have a ball and you’re moving the ball while you’re back and forth, which is very similar to punching.”
LL Cool J, who was sitting across from Rogan, chimed in. He said, “Footwork is hugely important.”
Rogan agreed, saying, “Footwork in conjunction with the movement of your hands. And he can play, man. And he can dunk.”
LL Cool J confirmed he had seen clips of Gane playing basketball, saying, “I saw that. I saw Yeah, I saw this clip before. Yeah, that boy. And he’s really playing.”
Rogan reiterated his point with more conviction.
“Yes, he’s really playing. I think there’s something legitimate to that as a base because you’re constantly jumping. Like soccer is another one. Soccer is a tremendous base for MMA cuz those guys have great cardio and their legs, they can constantly move back and forth and like they don’t get tired.”
LL Cool J responded, “That makes sense,” and Rogan added, “It’s a huge factor.”
Rogan then explained what separates basketball players from other athletes when it comes to fighting. “That makes sense. If you can get that kind of movement, most people don’t have that kind of movement, like an elite basketball player movement. And if you’re a guy who’s like plotting and like, you know, heavy-footed and you’re like moving forward and there’s a guy that’s just like light on his toes, you can’t hit him.”
Rogan finished the thought, saying, “He’s nowhere to be found. That’s a big factor.”
