"It was like my son was in there" - JRE guest Mel Gibson reveals watching this one UFC star lose nearly made him cry, Joe Rogan gives honest reaction

American actor and filmmaker Mel Gibson recently spoke to Joe Rogan about how watching UFC 266’s main event between Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega left him deeply emotional. Gibson, an avid UFC fan, revealed that his connection to Ortega made the fight particularly hard to watch. At UFC 266, Volkanovski defended his featherweight title in a grueling five-round contest, dominating much of the action while Ortega showed immense heart and resilience.

The fight saw Ortega come close to victory twice, nearly submitting Volkanovski with a guillotine and a triangle choke in the third round. Despite these valiant efforts, Volkanovski escaped both attempts and unleashed punishing strikes that left Ortega bloodied and battered.

Gibson described the feeling as watching his son fight inside the octagon. Speaking about the fight in episode #2254 of The Joe Rogan Experience, Gibson said:

"You know I'm addicted to the UFC right? I love it [but] I feel kind of feel sorry for them. And one of the guys... I knew one of the guys fairly well. Usually, I'm pretty immune to this but like he was in there and he was fighting against [Alexander] Volkanovski. It was Brian Ortega and he was getting his a*s handed to him in one fight. He almost got him a couple of times but because I knew Brian, it was like my son was in there. I almost started crying. And then it got to me that I should feel like this about all these guys but I don't know them as well."

Rogan replied to Gibson's comments, stating:

"It becomes a problem for me when I'm friends with the guy. Also I see when they're on the tail end of their career and they can't take shots anymore and then when you talk to them, you recognize the speech patterns are slurring."

Check out Mel Gibson's comments and Joe Rogan's reaction below (43:00):

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Joe Rogan sheds light on rumors about Jon Jones' retirement

Joe Rogan recently expressed that Jon Jones might be considering retirement after his dominant UFC career. The UFC heavyweight champion recently defended his title against Stipe Miocic, but his disinterest in facing rising contender Tom Aspinall has led to speculation.

Rogan discussed the situation on his podcast, suggesting that while Jones should think about retirement, the UFC must respect his decision and allow him ample time. Speaking to comedian Theo Von on a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, the UFC color commentator said:

"Well, apparently Jon is thinking about retiring. And he should. I mean, he's going to have to someday. I'm not saying he should retire, I'm saying he should think about it. Give the man all the time he wants and he can fight whenever he wants to fight. That’s Jon Jones, he’s the GOAT. So leave him alone."

Check out Joe Rogan's comments below (1:47:50):