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The UFC commentary team is responsible for keeping spectators informed on what's transpiring inside the octagon. In addition to offering casual fans insight into certain techniques that would otherwise escape their notice, the promotion's color commentators have other duties as well.
They enlighten fans on the backgrounds of certain fighters, giving spectators a reason to care about UFC fighters they're likely unfamiliar with. Furthermore, the commentary team is fundamental to giving home viewers a sense of excitement and thrill when it comes to the events playing out on screen.
Joe Rogan's signature scream has become synonymous with knockouts. Similarly, not many will forget Jon Anik's disbelief after Leon Edwards knocked Kamaru Usman out cold in the final minute of their bout.
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Unfortunately, the UFC commentary team is not infallible. There have been blunders, with some being worse than others. Five such embarrassing moments are compiled in this list.
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#5. Joe Rogan during UFC 281's main event
Joe Rogan has come under fire in recent years for supposedly phoning it in on his duties as a color commentator. The popular podcaster, however, remains fundamental to the UFC experience for many viewers. At UFC 281, Alex Pereira defeated Israel Adesanya to capture middleweight gold.
The bout was the former Glory kickboxing champion's eighth MMA fight. Additionally, it was also 'Poatan's' seventh win in MMA. Unfortunately, Rogan erroneously and repeatedly claimed that it was the Brazilian's fifth MMA fight. He did so in his fight commentary and in his post-fight interview with 'Poatan'.
It was an embarrassing moment for a man who many casual fans look to as a source of information on all things MMA. He is considered an expert. So a blunder that a simple Google search could have cleared up should have been beneath him.
#4. Mike Goldberg during a UFC Fight Night 9 prelim bout
Mike Goldberg was infamous for numerous bloopers during commentary. He spent two decades in the broadcast booth for the promotion. Unfortunately, he never quite outgrew his tendency to make head-scratching statements. UFC Fight Night 9 was one such occasion.
Kuniyoshi Hironaka faced Forrest Petz in the third preliminary bout of the evening. In the final round, the Japanese fighter's corner shouted instructions in his native Japanese. Yet Mike Goldberg somehow mistook the language being spoken for Portuguese.
Seconds afterwards, he was corrected by Joe Rogan. This was made all the more embarrassing after the popular podcaster reminded his broadcast partner of his Japanese spouse, so he should have known better.
#3. Jon Anik during a prelim bout at UFC 258
Jon Anik is typically one of the most level-headed commentators in the promotion. He is often a voice of reason who tries to redirect his broadcast partners back into the events taking place inside the octagon whenever they get derailed by arguments.
However, as is the case with everyone regardless of their profession, he is not infallible. At UFC 258, he issued a bizarre and embarrassing statement during the second bout of the evening. Chris Gutiérrez faced Andre Ewell in a preliminary fight that took place at a catchweight of 140 lbs.
Minutes into the first round, Anik decided to make a comparison between the two men. But instead of drawing a parallel between their skill-sets and recent run of form, he pointed out something that earned him significant criticism. He highlighted that both Ewell and Gutiérrez dealt with custody battles involving their children.
He then doubled down on his commentary by revealing that Ewell had no legal right to see his son nor knew of his whereabouts.
#2. Joe Rogan at the UFC 98 main event
Joe Rogan is prone to making hyperbolic statements on occasion. However, at UFC 98, he can be forgiven for what he said on commentary because it wasn't questionable at that moment in time. In 2009, Lyoto Machida was an undefeated karateka who mystified and sniped at his opponents with his Shotokan skill-set.
At UFC 98, he faced Rashad Evans for the promotion's light heavyweight title. It was a bout of enormous intrigue as both men were unbeaten at the time. When they crossed swords, 'The Dragon' emerged victorious with a second-round KO. Seconds afterward, one of the most famous quotes in MMA history was echoed.
Rogan described the win as the arrival of the Machida era. Unfortunately, the statement was retrospectively embarrassing given what happened next. 'The Dragon' defeated Maurício 'Shogun' Rua in a questionable decision before losing the title via first-round KO in a rematch after only one successful title defense.
Not only did Machida only manage one title defense, but the win itself was questioned by many fans at the time despite the judges' unanimous verdict. 'Shogun' landed more significant strikes in every round.
Furthermore, one of the judges, Cecil Peoples, claimed he gave Machida the win due to 'Shogun' throwing low kicks instead of strikes to the head. Regardless, after losing the title, the karateka never touched championship gold ever again.
#1. Dominick Cruz during the UFC 229 main event
By most metrics, Dominick Cruz is one of the finest analysts in the promotion. However, he made one great blunder that was so significant it became part of MMA meme culture on the internet. Given his reputation for being a smart fighter with a gift for analysis as a commentator, it's easy to see why.
At UFC 229, Khabib Nurmagomedov clashed with Conor McGregor in the main event. The bout was a one-sided affair that ended with a submission win for 'The Eagle'. However, during the earlier stages of the fight, 'The Dominator' made probably his worst-ever observation as a commentator.
While Nurmagomedov rained down ground-and-pound on McGregor, Cruz claimed that the Irishman was trying to tire his foe. Rogan quickly took exception to what his colleague said and rightly pointed out that McGregor being hit in the face and doing nothing to escape a bad position was not a plan to gas his foe out.
Not only did 'The Eagle' not tire during the bout, but instead it was 'The Notorious' who did. It was such a lapse in logic for Cruz that even Nurmagomedov himself mocked the former bantamweight champion's statement.
