The sport which always makes the headlines and so does Joe Rogan. The sport that is full of excitement and thrill – Mixed Martial Arts.
Even though this is one of the most popular combat sports in the world, if not the most popular, the public is not completely aware of the conditioning, endurance, and determination that you have to have in order to step into the octagon. On top of this, there is the damage that your body is suffering whilst fighting. The damage is real and is not only physical but mental as well.
Joe Rogan Concludes – MMA Is More Damaging Than NFL
Not many people are speaking about this, and not many are worried about it either. However, the famous UFC Commentator Joe Rogan recently mentioned this on his podcast. His podcast is one of the most-watched podcasts in the world currently, and his words do have ‘weight’. He addresses this damage as a physical toll that you are paying in return for success in the sport.
“You got to realize that this is the wildest, crazy, exciting but ultimately physically damaging game there is other than maybe football. Right? Football players, they fuck each other up, just running full tilt into each other. But MMA is even more personal, even more psychological, because you know it’s just you and this other guy, and then you set a date, And it’s 4th of July weekend in Vegas, and your fucking billboard is outside your hotel window, and it’s giant. You can’t sleep,” – Joe exclaimed.
And he does have a point here. There is a difference. Playing in a team makes you not feel alone, the eyes of the watchers are not focused on you only – but on the team as a whole. In MMA you are excluded from such a grace. You are out under a microscope watch. The people are analyzing every move you make during the fight. And there is no one else to blame for your moves – it’s only you.
The pressure before a fight, oh my God. Reading predictions of the fight and struggling to meet them, or even worse proving them wrong. Thinking of the fight constantly for days, if not weeks. All this adds up to the mental damage you are suffering.
Imagine sitting in a room doing nothing while millions of people are watching you around the world. Not a good feeling, right? Now imagine being in the same room with another dude who is trying to destroy you physically in every possible way. If you are about to make a mistake the whole world will see it. The tension is at least double.
Now, the podcaster did not mean to degrade the NFL players. He is not meaning that in NFL you are not suffering damage, but as a comparison between the two, the mental pressure that you face in MMA is massively bigger.
What are your thoughts? Is NFL more damaging than MMA? Are you siding with Rogan on this one?