"That's the dumbest thing to ever say!" - When Joe Rogan refused to accept Dominick Cruz's reasoning behind struggling to throw head kicks

Joe Rogan seemingly disagrees with Dominick Cruz over his reasoning behind struggling to throw head kicks. A few years back, Rogan hosted world-renowned MMA coach Firas Zahabi on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast.

Zahabi and Rogan notably spoke about former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz – a brilliant fighter who has time and again suffered knee injuries. Rogan suggested that Cruz doesn’t throw head kicks because, according to ‘The Dominator’ himself, he lacks the flexibility to efficiently execute the maneuver.

Rogan disagreed with Cruz. He insinuated that it’s the lack of stretching that causes Cruz’s injuries, flexibility issues, and inability to properly throw head kicks. Rogan stated:

“Saying, ‘I’m not flexible enough,’ that’s the dumbest thing to ever say! I mean, it’s so much more dumb than, ‘I’m not strong enough.’ Well, if you gained weight from muscle, you might not be in that weight class anymore. You’ve got a real problem there. But ‘I’m not flexible enough,’ you’ve got zero problem. You just have to stretch. But he doesn’t stretch.”

Joe Rogan recalled having a conversation with Cruz concerning jiu-jitsu techniques. Rogan noted that Cruz told him he “can’t play that high-guard sh**” because he doesn’t have any flexibility.

The UFC commentator highlighted that it’s baffling how a champion like Cruz could accept the inability to make basic improvements to his routine like stretching. Rogan said:

“And like, head kicks and things along those lines — he’s like, very stiff in his legs with throwing kicks. Like, that’s an easy fix. Why wouldn’t you fix that?”

Watch Rogan discuss the topic at 0:34 in the video below:

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Dominick Cruz and Joe Rogan’s discussion on the mental aspect of fighting

Dominick Cruz appeared on the JRE podcast back in 2017 and expounded upon the mental aspect of fighting. Cruz emphasized that an athlete must appropriately handle the emotional consequences of losing to be a successful fighter. ‘The Dominator’ said:

“Are you willing to embarrass yourself if you do lose? Are you willing to deal with the media if you win for 10 years straight and then lose. And then now you’re the worst guy that’s ever been seen in the sport or the worst female that’s ever been seen in the sport; you didn’t even belong there?”

Watch Cruz address the topic at 1:17 in the video below:

Presently, Dominick Cruz is scheduled to face Marlon Vera in a bantamweight bout that will headline UFC on ESPN: Vera vs. Cruz on August 13. Meanwhile, Joe Rogan continues to work as a UFC commentator, while also achieving incredible success as one of the most influential podcasters in the world.