Joe Rogan says Alex Pereira being a massive middleweight is "sanctioned cheating"

On a recent episode of the Joe Rogan Experience (JRE #1900) Podcast with Steve-O, Rogan expressed his awe at the size of Alex Pereira while they discussed the main event of UFC 281.

Alex Pereira beat Israel Adesanya via knockout in the fifth round of their fight, catching the Nigerian-born Kiwi with a vicious barrage of strikes that led referee Marc Goddard to step in and stop the contest. 'Poatan' was crowned the new middleweight champion.

Discussing the showdown with Steve-O (real name Stephen Glover), the popular comedian spoke about the size of the Brazilian. When Glover asked Rogan if Pereira really weighed 220 pounds, Rogan replied by saying:

"He could have been. Yeah. He certainly gets above that in-between fights. He has a hard time making 185. It's a bull***t thing. It's basically sanctioned cheating. It really is. But everybody does it."

Rogan and Glover further discussed the fact that when Adesanya faced Jan Blachowicz at light heavyweight, the former middleweight champion weighed 194 pounds.

The UFC commentator further outlined the effects of gaining muscle for someone like Adesanya, citing its effects on endurance and movement due to more oxygen required by the extra muscles.

Watch Joe Rogan and Steve-O talk about Alex Pereira's size below:

Catch the full JRE #1900 episode with Steve-O here.

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Joe Rogan defends referee Marc Goddard after controversy surrounding Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira stoppage

Popular comedian and UFC commentator Joe Rogan has come out in support of referee Marc Goddard, after claims that the bout between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira was stopped prematurely.

During the same episode, Rogan defended the stoppage decision stating:

"Well, I don't think Pereira was going to stop. 'Izzy' was stationary and Pereira was going to hit him with some big shots. We don't need to see 'Izzy' with his eyes rolled back behind his head flat out unconscious. I think it was a good stoppage."

Watch Joe Rogan and Steve-O discuss the UFC 281 main event below:

Rogan further elaborated on how the stoppage by Goddard prevented the former champion from taking further damage. The shots 'Poatan' landed were heavy and Pereira received no response from Adesanya.

While everyone expected the Nigerian-born Kiwi to win the decision owing to his success in the early rounds of the bout, Pereira's powerful strikes eventually caught him in the fifth round as Goddard waved the fight off and the Brazilian emerged as the champion of the middleweight division.