Joe Rogan didn’t hold back on his criticism of Michael ‘Venom’ Page’s ‘crazy bad’ fight against Sam Patterson this past weekend at UFC Fight Night 270 in London, England.
Rogan, who has had ‘Venom’ on his podcast before, didn’t pin all the blame on the fighters though, instead questioning why the matchmakers thought putting these two former training partners together would make for a good fight.
“It’s interesting that they didn’t think of this when they booked this fight,” Rogan said during his live ‘Fight Companion’ podcast during the event. “They didn’t think, ‘These guys are training partners, this might be a stinker.’ Maybe it’s like, you can’t get anybody to fight Venom Page in London? That might be a problem, too. It might have been [that] a bunch of dudes said no, and Patterson was like, let’s go.”
Rogan has seen many bad fights over the years as a long-time UFC color commentator, but the complete lack of action in the Page vs. Patterson fight had him ranking it up there with some of the worst.
“This might be the least action of any fight, ever, next to Derrick Lewis and Francis Ngannou,” Rogan said.
“… This is crazy bad. That’s a crazy bad fight. That’s a crazy matchup. It’s literally the last guy you want to fight a style like that, someone who understands it. It’s the last thing you want! Don’t you want excitement? Don’t you want as real as it gets? Don’t you want ‘Just Bleed?’
“I bet it was one of the things where there’s not a lot of guys lining up to take that fight, because he makes you look so stupid. But this dude is like, ‘I’ve been in there with him 100 rounds, I know how to fight it.’ It’s a big advantage, man! Giant advantage! Knowing what that distance and speed is like.”
Meanwhile, Page has issued a statement on social media assuring his fans that he doesn’t want to be in boring fights.
“Got the win,” Page wrote on Instagram. “Not the performance I aim to give, and I know people expect more. I expect more from myself too. Sometimes styles clash and it becomes more tactical than explosive, but I’m not here to be in boring fights. That’s not who I am.”
“I respect the opportunity the UFC has given me to compete at the highest level, and I’m here to prove that every time I step in there,” Page continued in his statement. “Appreciate everyone who continues to support me. Respect to my opponent. Back to work. On to the next.”
