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UFC commentators are expected to be the primary voices of the sport. They relay the action taking place inside the octagon, detailing it with enough information but dressed under a veil of fan-friendly terminology to render it all easy for casual watchers to digest.
While Joe Rogan has been the promotion's primary voice in the broadcast booth for as long as fans can remember, his partners have been a revolving door of former fighters and ex-colleagues. He is often partnered with Jon Anik and Daniel Cormier, or Michael Bisping.
Unfortunately, the commentary team isn't always in point. In fact, they occasionally say things that, upon closer inspection, have no basis in fact. And if they once did, they no longer do.
#5. Joe Rogan's beliefs about a high-level Brazilian jiu-jitsu guard
Brazilian jiu-jitsu is one of the most important bases in MMA, first introduced to the world at large by Royce Gracie, whose early exploits in the UFC taught martial artists everywhere that there was still much to learn. However, the idea that a Brazilian jiu-jitsu guard is still a dangerous place is outdated.
Top control has evolved to almost completely neutralize fighters on the bottom, as it is now extremely rare for grapplers, no matter how elite, to submit an opponent from their guard. Nevertheless, Joe Rogan still insists that a Brazilian jiu-jitsu guard, when used by a high-level grappler, poses significant danger to their foe.
This was notable in Ilia Topuria's bouts with Ryan Hall and Bryce Mitchell. Every time the Spaniard took either man to the mat, Rogan claimed that Topuria was making a mistake and that he was in danger. Yet, Topuria ultimately TKO'd Hall on the mat and even submitted Mitchell.
#4. The notion that Israel Adesanya doesn't cut weight in the UFC middleweight division
Joe Rogan is once again the offender when it comes to making disputed claims. Among his most infamous assertions is that Israel Adesanya barely cuts weight to make 185 pounds. This, however, simply isn't true. There are two instances that disprove Rogan's claims.
First is the former UFC middleweight champion's failed attempt to capture UFC light heavyweight gold. When slated to fight at 205 pounds, Adesanya deliberately opted against bulking up for the light heavyweight division, trusting in his walk-around weight, as he weighed in at 200 pounds, 15 pounds above 185 pounds.
This was merely him without bulking up or cutting weight. More than that, however, was Adesanya's weight ahead of his UFC 281 showdown with Alex Pereira, where he revealed to fans via an Instagram story that he was weighing 215 pounds prior to their middleweight championship fight.
#3. That UFC champions who move up in weight are brave
Alexander Volkanovski was widely praised for his initial effort against UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. The pair had a highly acclaimed bout that many felt could have been scored either way. Unfortunately, this has led to the narrative that Volkanovski and others like him were putting something on the line.
This was especially notable in their second outing, for which Volkanovski stepped in on short notice. But he had nothing to lose; his belt wasn't on the line, and he was paid handsomely, which is often the case for the smaller champion moving up in weight. The truth of the matter is that the heavier champion is brave.
They have everything to lose, including their belt and reputation, should they lose to a smaller fighter from a weight class below. Yet, the contrary has been echoed by not just commentators but fans and even other fighters.
#2. That calf kicks are new in the UFC
Calf kicks have grown in prominence over recent years, especially in light of Dustin Poirier's TKO of Conor McGregor at UFC 257, which was precipitated by his use of calf kicks. The public profile of calf kicks was further heightened by Alex Pereira's ascension to greatness.
This has led to the commentators frequently discussing calf kicks as new techniques that fighters have never seen or used before. This, however, isn't true. Former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson was a prominent calf-kicker, using the blows against both Frankie Edgar and Anthony Pettis.
Check out a look into Benson Henderson's calf kicks:
Controversial former fighter James Krause also used calf kicks when he faced Jamie Varner at UFC 173. Wilson Gouveia, who once fought for the promotion, was also a frequent calf-kicker.
#1. That Dustin Poirier has a good guillotine
In his win over Benoît Saint Denis, Daniel Cormier described Dustin Poirier as having a good guillotine. This is an oft-repeated statement with no evidence to support it. Despite jumping for several guillotine chokes against Saint Denis, 'The Diamond' beat the Frenchman via knockout.
Perhaps the former interim lightweight champion's most famous guillotine was against Khabib Nurmagomedov, which led to nothing. The truth of the matter is that Poirier has never won a fight with a guillotine choke. He has won 8 fights via submission, none of which were guillotine chokes.
So, the idea that he has a 'good' guillotine is baseless. How good can his guillotine be if he has never, not even against low-level opponents in his early days, finished anyone with it?
