The best and worst from UFC 240: Holloway vs. Edgar

#1 Worst: Joe Rogan’s commentary

Joe Rogan's attempts to push a narrative in fights like Cris Cyborg vs. Felicia Spencer were jarring

I’ll preface this by saying I have a ton of respect for Joe Rogan as a UFC commentator; he’s been doing the job for a long time, essentially the best part of 20 years, and he almost always brings knowledge, enthusiasm and fun into the booth. Unfortunately though, last night saw him displaying what has always been his biggest flaw – an attempt to force a pre-conceived narrative into the fights – on numerous occasion, and without another colour man like Dominick Cruz or Paul Felder alongside him and Jon Anik, it was jarring.

Sure, it was true that all the movement from Yoshinori Horie had the Japanese newcomer tired out midway through his prelim bout with Hakeem Dawodu, but to try to claim Viviane Araujo was exhausted midway through her fight with Alexis Davis – a fight she clearly won – was crazy. Crazier still was his attempt to push the narrative that Cris Cyborg was gassed after the first round of her fight with Felicia Spencer.

Speaking of the Cyborg fight, it was a largely one-sided one in favour of the Brazilian, with Spencer’s sheer toughness keeping her alive – but listening to Rogan would’ve had you believe that the Canadian was close to pulling off what would’ve been a hell of an upset. The same could almost be said for Frankie Edgar’s performance in the main event – it wasn’t a close fight but Rogan made it out to be.

Don’t get me wrong – I think Rogan should always be a staple of UFC commentary and I wouldn’t want him to go the same way as Mike Goldberg – but perhaps the UFC brass should always go with a three-man booth now in order to curb some of his more questionable calls.