Joe Rogan wants global ban on illegal MMA strike removed

UFC commentator and famous podcast host Joe Rogan isn't known to shy away from controversy and openly express his opinions on various matters. In his latest polarizing take, the 55-year-old recently claimed that strikes to the back of a fighter’s head should be legalized in mixed martial arts bouts.

Strikes to the back of the head or 'rabbit punching' is deemed illegal across all forms of combat sports due to the high risk of injury along with serious and irreparable damage to the brain stem and the spinal system.

In a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience with UFC welterweight Jorge Masvidal (JRE MMA Show #137), Joe Rogan opined that since certain dangerous moves were common during the old days of MMA, they should be allowed and accepted today as well.

A report by Bloody Elbow transcribed Rogan's statements declaring that 'rabbit punching' should be allowed inside the octagon:

"I don’t even know if we should stop hitting people in the back of the head. It doesn’t seem to make any sense to me. Because a lot of knockouts, like high kicks, they wrap around the back of the shoulder, and they go right to the back of your head, and it’s legal...It should be legal, I don't understand why it's not legal."

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Illegal MMA strike: Fans react to Joe Rogan stating strikes to the back of the head should be legal

While Joe Rogan is undoubtedly a legitimate authority in the world of mixed martial arts, his comments questioning the illegality of 'rabbit punching' did not go down well with the fans.

Fans were upset at Rogan's recent take on illegal MMA strikes and took to Twitter to make their opinions known. In the comments section of a clip posted by @ThisIsNotDSP, users reacted to the UFC commentator's statements.

One fan joked about Rogan not knowing what a cerebellum is, saying:

"Tell me you don't know what a cerebellum is without telling me you don't know what a cerebellum is."

Another fan stated:

"This is shocking even for him."

One user stated:

"I don't understand how joe rogan knows more about combat sports than all of us combined but still has the most casual takes imaginable."

One user pointed out:

"Not even BKFC would allow that, and that's saying something."

One user joked:

"I doubt even Russian MMA promotions allow shots to the back of the head."

One fan wrote:

"Joe has been having some terrible MMA takes as of late."