UFC color commenter and announcer Joe Rogan is apologizing for interviewing an obviously dazed Daniel Cormier after the mixed-martial artist suffered a mean knockout loss to Jon “Bones” Jones on Saturday.
Rogan ran to interview Cormier after a bout that was already gearing up to be controversial when referee John McCarthy let the pummeling go on too long. Even UFC boss Dana White was upset that McCarthy didn’t end the fight sooner.
In the post-fight interview, an obviously distraught and emotional Cormier is seen on the verge of tears.
Cormier was doing well enough for most of the fight, but he took a hard kick to the head in the third round that left him dazed. Then he sustained a series of sharp jabs at the hands of opponent Jones, several when he was already down.
But, the humiliation continued when Rogan ran over to engage the losing fighter. Unsurprisingly, the short interview with the boxer immediately drew criticism.
White, for one, was unhappy that Rogan did the interview despite being told he shouldn’t do it, according to USA Today.
“They told Rogan not to do the interview with him,” White said. “Rogan did it (anyway). You have to let the guy talk. I think you have to let the guy talk.”
Cormier was punched several more times on the ground before the fight was finally halted by referee John McCarthy. White said the fight could have been stopped “three, four or five punches earlier.”
Cormier’s coach was also upset over the interview.
“He had no business being interviewed,” Coach Javier Mendez said. “Bad move. Rogan probably feels bad.”
Cormier was quickly diagnosed with a concussion and was sent to UC Irvine Medical Center for treatment.
With the criticism mounting, Rogan soon jumped to his Twitter account to apologize for the interview, saying, “My apologies to @dc_mma and to all of you upset by my interviewing him after the fight. In all honestly I was kind of in shock”:
My apologies to @dc_mma and to all of you upset by my interviewing him after the fight. In all honestly I was kind of in shock.
— Joe Rogan (@joerogan) July 30, 2017
Rogan even said he “broke” his own rule about such interviews and promising never to do it again.
“I don’t care (if they want it). I’m not doing it,” Rogan said:
I don’t think I realized what I was doing until I actually had a mic in front of him. I’ve said I don’t want to interview KO’ed fighters
— Joe Rogan (@joerogan) July 30, 2017
And then I wound up doing it to someone I care a great deal about. D.C. Is a great man and the whole thing was surreal.
— Joe Rogan (@joerogan) July 30, 2017
I was beating myself up about it all last night. It’ll never happen again. My apologies to D.C. And to all of you.
— Joe Rogan (@joerogan) July 30, 2017
Again, no one asked me to do it. It was 100% my fuck up. Like I said, I was kind of in shock.
— Joe Rogan (@joerogan) July 30, 2017
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.
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