Joe Rogan: I Almost Fought Wesley Snipes in 2005

– There had been rumors for years, and during his appearance on The Fight Companion podcast, Joe Rogan confirmed that there were plans for him to face off with actor Wesley Snipes in an MMA fight back in 2005. Snipes needed a quick payday due to IRS issues and was supposed to face fellow actor Jean-Claude Van Damme. According to Rogan, UFC producer Campbell McLaren shut that down…

On The JCVD Fight Being Shut Down: “He’s like ‘nobody’s gonna pay to see you and Jean-Claude Van Damme fight,” Rogan said, paraphrasing McLaren’s statements. “You have to fight someone who was ‘current.’ So he said ‘would you fight Joe Rogan?’ And he said ‘Yup, let’s do it.’ So they came to me, and I went ‘How much money?’ And then they started talking, then I said ‘OK, let’s see what happens.’”

On How Rogan Saw The Fight Going: “I just didn’t think that anybody who didn’t know any jiu-jitsu could learn it quick,” Rogan said. “I was already a brown belt by then, and I just knew what happened when a brown belt fights a white belt. I just can’t imagine. I know how to stand up, and even if I wasn’t good at striking anymore like I was when I was a kid, I’m good enough to know what to not do and where to not be. And if I get a hold of someone who doesn’t know jiu-jitsu, I’m pretty sure I’m choking the f—k out of them. He’s never wrestled, he never had a competitive martial arts match, whether it’s a kickboxing fight or karate fight. I was like ‘I’m gonna choke the f—k out of this guy. I’m gonna get a hold of him, and I’m gonna squeeze the s–t out of him, and they’re gonna give me a lot of money, and he’s probably not even gonna get hurt.’ That’s what I thought.”