Joe Rogan has refuted claims that Olympic boxer Imane Khelif is female, amid the widespread speculation about her gender.
On Thursday this week, Khelif faced off against Italy's Angela Carini in Paris. Carini, however, quit the bout after just 46 seconds, and was overheard protesting to her team that "it's not right."
The controversy surrounding Khelif stems from her disqualification from the International Boxing Association (IBA) Women's World Boxing Championships last year. Despite being born female and identifying as female, she failed a gender eligibility test conducted by the IBA.
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But Imane Khelif was subsequently given the green light to return to competition in Paris. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) stated that they no longer recognize the IBA and their rulings.
Despite being allowed to compete by the IOC, Khelif has been subject to intense speculation about her gender. Many, like Rogan, are claiming that she is a transgender woman seeking a competitive advantage.
Speaking on episode #161 of the JRE MMA Show, the UFC color commentator said:
"They failed gender eligibility tests? That means they're transgender. The boxer's [Imane Khelif] chromosome came back as XY, so that's a male. That's a man... I know it sounds horrible to misgender someone and all that stuff, all that's great until you wanna fight women or even compete against women. Cut the sh*t."
Catch Joe Rogan's comments below (11:20):
Joe Rogan calls Olympics a "giant scam" after questioning athlete pay and opening ceremony
Joe Rogan hasn't minced his words about the Olympics. The JRE host has called out the IOC for the controversial opening ceremony and the lack of athlete pay.
According to Rogan, while the Olympics generates one of the biggest revenue streams in sports, the athletes taking part are rarely ever compensated. The UFC color commentator also questioned the decisions behind the opening ceremony, which many have felt mocked Christianity.
Speaking on the same episode of the JRE MMA Show, Rogan said:
"The Olympics is a giant scam. There's two things going on simultaneously, ok, you have the best athletes in the world participating in their disciplines. That's happening and then on top of that, you have enormous amounts of money being made and none of it is going to the athletes. It is a giant scam."
He continued:
"So the kind of people that are putting together that ridiculous opening ceremony where you've got a bunch of drag queens and the last supper and all that wild s***, nobody understands it."
Check out Joe Rogan's comments below: