Rogan requests change in UFC-post fight interview process
Joe Rogan requests change in UFC post-fight interview process following Alistair Overeem loss
If Alistair Overeem had won Saturday night in the main event of UFC 203, he would be on the short list of greatest heavyweights of all time. But he lost, so the G.O.A.T list slipped away. And he lost via KO, so his consciousness, too, had slipped away.
He was brought to, stood up, Miocic had his arms raised and was interviewed, and then it was Overeem’s turn.
He told UFC commentator Joe Rogan that he thought Miocic had tapped to guillotine earlier in the fight.
Stipe was the better man today, said Overeem, as transcribed by Matt Erickson for MMAjunkie. He’s a great athlete, he’s tough, he always comes to fight. There’s one thing I can say about the fight: I believe when I punched him and he went down, I followed him, I got him in a guillotine choke, and I clearly felt a tap.
“The ref didn’t see it, the ref didn’t jump in, so the fight continued. But in my opinion, he tapped and it’s a bummer and we’re going to have to go back to the drawing board. I think I’m the better fighter, but not today.
Rogan responded with a further question.
You think he tapped and you think … did you let go when you thought that he tapped? asked Rogan.
Yes, replied Overeem. The referee didn’t come in. But he clearly tapped.
The video played, twice, to be sure, and there was of course no tap to be seen.
There have been far greater confusions – sometimes fighters believe they run. But Overeem did not look good – the fans in the arena booed loudly, and fans online were derisive.
In response, Rogan has requested a change.
“I asked the UFC brass if we could please refrain from interviewing fighters after they’ve been KO’ed,” he tweeted. “I don’t think it’s wise nor fair.”
UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley was not impressed with the interview.
“That replay of the ‘tap’ really hung him out to dry,” tweeted the champ.
Rogan replied, and explained why two angles of the nontap were played.
“I had to play it because I didn’t know if he was right,” tweeted Rogan. “It’s always possible there’s something we didn’t see and he was adamant. … Once we showed the first angle he thought in another angle it would be there, so we had to give him a chance.”
Overeem did not, in fact, look his best in the interview, as he was not at his best. Rogan’s proposal that the issue be visited is a sound one.