8 things you didn't know about UFC commentator Joe Rogan

Joe Rogan is a UFC icon. He is one of several faces that come to mind when casual fans think of the promotion. Despite never having been a professional mixed martial artist himself, the former Fear Factor host has managed to cultivate an image of respect among the global MMA fanbase.

Besides his role as a UFC color commentator, however, Rogan is also a highly successful comedian. Furthermore, he hosts the world's most popular podcast: The Joe Rogan Experience. Many fans know a great deal about Rogan, such as his past exploits as a Taekwondo black belt.

While many things are known about Rogan, there are still things about him that fans know nothing of yet. This list details as many as eight things that the casual MMA fanbase may not know about the popular UFC color commentator.

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#8. Jordan Peterson is the reason why he briefly adopted a carnivore diet

Four years ago, Joe Rogan welcomed controversial psychologist Jordan Peterson to his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience. During his appearance on the popular podcast, Peterson revealed that he adopted a carnivore diet after his daughter convinced him to do so.

This prompted Rogan to adopt the carnivore diet as well. He suffered from frequent bouts of explosive diarrhea, consequently losing weight due to the large fluid loss. Eventually, the UFC color commentator abandoned the diet, but credits Jordan Peterson as inspiring him to do so.

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#7. Joe Rogan was an amateur kickboxer

Joe Rogan is a skilled martial artist with black belts in Taekwondo, 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu under the guidance of close friend Eddie Bravo, and traditional Brazilian jiu-jitsu from Jean Jacques Machado. Despite his credentials as a martial artist, Joe Rogan never became a professional fighter.

He did, however, compete in amateur kickboxing, amassing a record of two wins and one loss. Ultimately, he opted against pursuing a career as a professional fighter after recurring headaches made him fear the potential consequences of a long career in professional combat sports.

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#6. He is related to two members of My Chemical Romance

'My Chemical Romance' is a rock band whose popularity and success peaked in the mid-2000s. The band's lead vocalist is Gerard Way, whose brother Mikey Way is its bassist. While there doesn't appear to be an immediate connection between the two Way brothers and Rogan, there is.

In 2019, the UFC color commentator revealed that he is first cousins once removed with the 'My Chemical Romance' members. However, Rogan also pointed out that he has never met either man despite their family ties. It ranks among one of the most peculiar facts about the former Fear Factor host.

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#5. He didn't initially plan on becoming a comedian

Due to his past as a martial artist, Joe Rogan's initial plans didn't include comedy. Instead, he hoped to use his experience as an amateur kickboxer to pursue a career in professional kickboxing. However, frequent headaches and injury worries left him too concerned with a full-time career as a fighter.

Thus, his initial plan was never to become a comedian in the first place. Instead, Rogan entertained the idea of a career as a professional kickboxer but ultimately decided against it. Had he parlayed his martial arts experience into a kickboxing career, he may have never become the successful comedian he is today.

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#4. Joe Rogan once helped a private investigator

After his dreams of becoming a professional kickboxer were crushed under the weight of his fears of headaches and life-long injuries, Joe Rogan didn't immediately pursue a career in comedy. Instead, he took on various odd jobs as he had no college degree to fall back on.

One of those jobs included helping Dave Dolan, a private investigator. After a DUI prevented him from being able to drive himself, Dolan needed an assistant to drive him around. The assistant in question was Joe Rogan. The pair remained friends long after Rogan found success as a comedian.

Unfortunately, Dolan passed away a few years ago after succumbing to cancer.

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#3. His first comedy gigs were at strip clubs and bachelor parties

Immediate success is rarely possible for anyone, regardless of their chosen field of expertise. After Joe Rogan decided to pursue comedy, he became known for his blue comedy style, which is often referred to as ribaldry. The subject matters for blue comedy tend to be offensive by nature.

More than that, however, they tend to be offensive topics of a sexual nature, like the stereotype that men think with their private parts while women think with their hearts. This style of comedy led Rogan to be invited to perform at several strip clubs and bachelor parties, where such topics were part of their nature.

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#2. He was part of the UFC before Dana White

Joe Rogan first became interested in the UFC after witnessing Royce Gracie's legendary triumph at UFC 2. At the time, Jeff Sussman—the future UFC commentator's manager—was friends with Campbell McLaren, one of the UFC's co-founders, and managed to land Rogan a role in the company.

He became a backstage and post-fight interviewer in 1997, four years before Dana White became the promotion's president. Unfortunately, Rogan briefly walked away from his role due to his salary being too low to enable him to travel to the events.

He eventually returned once White helmed the promotion. This time, though, he became a color commentator instead.

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#1. Joe Rogan tried to save Phil Hartman's life

Most fans may not know it, but between 1995 and 1999, Joe Rogan had a starring role on NewsRadio, a sitcom that aired on NBC. One of his castmates was Phil Hartman, who was best known for being on Saturday Night Live for a total of eight seasons. The two struck up a friendship but tragedy later struck.

In 1998, Phil Hartman was fatally shot in his sleep by his wife Brynn Omdahl, who subsequently took her own life. Their marriage was plagued by difficulties and Rogan claims to have tried to persuade Hartman to divorce Omdahl five different times, to no avail.