Joe Rogan credits Daniel Cormier for his success as an undersized heavyweight.
[autotag]Joe Rogan[/autotag] credits [autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] for his success as an undersized heavyweight.
Cormier (22-3-1) joined a select few to win UFC titles in two weight divisions simultaneously when he captured both the light heavyweight and heavyweight titles.
Cormier finished out his career as a heavyweight, a division he dominated in Strikeforce before joining the UFC. His broadcast partner Rogan spoke highly of him as both a fighter and person.
“Daniel was a light heavyweight champion and heavyweight champion,” Rogan said on a recent episode of his “Joe Rogan Experience.” “He was a two-division world champion and was dominating in a weight class in Strikeforce that he didn’t even belong in – heavyweight. He’s like 5-(foot)-11 – he’s not a big guy.
“He’s just such an insane tank of a human being. His wrestling was so insane and just his will was so insane. He dominated two different divisions. He was a killer. The nicest f*cking guy you’d ever meet in your life. If you were hanging around him, you would never believe that he could pick up anybody in the room and smash them on their head.”
Cormier joined the Modern Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame in 2022. He holds notable wins over the likes of Stipe Miocic, Alexander Gustafsson, Anthony Johnson, and Dan Henderson throughout his career.
Here’s what you need to know to watch UFC 310 on pay-per-view, ESPN2 and ESPN+.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
The UFC’s 14th and final pay-per-view event of 2024 goes down Saturday in “Sin City.”
Here’s how to watch UFC 310 with the flyweight title on the line at the top of the card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Broadcast and streaming info
Jon Anik
UFC 310 has a main card that begins at 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT) on pay-per-view (via ESPN+). The four-fight preliminary card airs on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. ET. Five early prelims stream on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET.
[autotag]Dan Hellie[/autotag] will host the official UFC 310 weigh-in show on Friday.
He’ll be joined by UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag], as well as others to be named shortly.
Former UFC title challenger [autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] and former UFC/WEC bantamweight champion [autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag] will serve as a desk analysts on the UFC 310 post-fight show and throughout the card, when necessary.
[autotag]Brett Okamoto[/autotag] will serve as the host. Longtime UFC correspondent [autotag]Megan Olivi[/autotag] will conduct pre and post-fight interviews backstage with some of the athletes on the UFC 310 card, as well as report additional real-time updates for the event.
[autotag]Jon Anik[/autotag] will serve as the leading man on the mic from cageside at UFC 310. He will command play-by-play alongside color commentators, former two-division UFC champion Cormier and [autotag]Joe Rogan[/autotag]. Din Thomas will also contribute to the broadcast as a coach-analyst.
(Mike Bohn, MMA Junkie)
Main event: Alexandre Pantoja
May 4, 2024; Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BRAZIL; Alexandre Pantoja (red gloves) fights against Steve Erceg (blue gloves) during UFC 301 at Rio Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Silva-USA TODAY Sports
Record: 28-5 MMA, 12-3 UFC Opponent: Kai Asakura (21-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) Division: Flyweight Key wins: Steve Erceg, Brandon Royval (twice), Brandon Moreno (twice), Alex Perez, Manel Kape Misc.: The Brazilian won the flyweight title with a split decision over Brandon Moreno in mid-2023 and has defended it with decisions over Brandon Royval and Steve Erceg.
Main event: Kai Asakura
Kai Asakura def. Juan Archuleta at Rizin 45
Record: 21-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC Opponent: Alexandre Pantoja (28-5 MMA, 12-3 UFC) Division: Flyweight Key wins:Misc.: Former Rizin champ Asakura will be a trivia question some day as one of the few fighters whose UFC debuts have been in title fights. He won the Rizin belt against former Bellator champion Juan Archuleta nearly a year ago.
Co-main event: Ian Machado Garry
Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Ian Machado Garry (red gloves) fights Michael Page (not pictured) during UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Record: 18-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC Opponent: Shavkat Rakhmonov (15-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) Division: Welterweight Key wins: Michael Page, Geoff Neal, Neil Magny, Daniel Rodriguez Misc.: Garry moved up a week from a planned fight with Joaquin Buckley to meet Rakhmonov in a title eliminator, instead.
Co-main event: Shavkat Rakhmonov
Shavkat Rakhmonov
Record: 15-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC Opponent: Ian Machado Garry (18-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) Division: Welterweight Key wins: Stephen Thompson, Geoff Neal, Neil Magny, Michel Prazeres Misc.: The 30-year-old from Kazakhstan was set to fight Belal Muhammad for the title this week until Muhammad pulled out. All 18 of his wins are by stoppage.
UFC 310 main card betting odds
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
Champ Alexandre Pantoja (-275) vs. Kai Asakura (+225) – for flyweight title
Ian Machado Garry (+290) vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov (-390)
Ciryl Gane (-340) vs. Alexander Volkov (+260)
Kron Gracie (+450) vs. Bryce Mitchell (-725)
Dooho Choi (+120) vs. Nate Landwehr (-140)
UFC 310 prelim betting odds
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN2, 8 p.m. ET)
Dominick Reyes (-360) vs. Anthony Smith (+270)
Themba Gorimbo (-155) vs. Vicente Luque (+130)
Movsar Evloev (-265) vs. Aljamain Sterling (+215)
Bryan Battle (-235) vs. Randy Brown (+190)
UFC 310 early prelim betting odds
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)
Eryk Anders (-105) vs. Chris Weidman (-115)
Cody Durden (+130) vs. Joshua Van (-155)
Michael Chiesa (+105) vs. Max Griffin (-125)
Clay Guida (+650) vs. Chase Hooper (-1150)
Lukasz Brzeski (+425) vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu (-650)
UFC 310 preview videos
UFC 310 full fight videos
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.
Joe Rogan was worried about Mike Tyson’s health when he fought Jake Paul.
[autotag]Joe Rogan[/autotag] was worried about [autotag]Mike Tyson[/autotag]’s health going up against [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag].
58-year-old Tyson appeared to suffer little to no damage against Paul, but lost a unanimous decision in their Netflix boxing match headliner less than two weeks ago at AT&T Stadium.
“I’m glad he got to that fight and didn’t get hurt,” Rogan said on a recent episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast. “I was hoping he would knock Jake Paul out just because that’s the Cinderella story.”
Rogan’s support for Tyson is no knock on Paul. The UFC commentator and popular podcast host praised the YouTuber-turned-boxer for the success and eyes he’s drawn to the sport.
“I don’t have anything against Jake Paul,” Rogan said. “I like Jake Paul. I think what he’s doing is genius. I think what he’s doing is, like – I mean, he’s making insane amounts of money, he’s having a great time, he’s a legit boxer.
“He’s absolutely a legit boxer. If you do (hate), you’re an idiot. But the reality is, Mike is 58 years old, and I was worried. I love that guy, and he was a hero of mine when I was a kid.”
Joe Rogan highlights one major difference in the way Jon Jones and Conor McGregor have navigated their careers.
[autotag]Joe Rogan[/autotag] highlighted one major difference in the way [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] have navigated their careers.
Both Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) and McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) have risen to undeniable heights in their UFC careers, but have also found themselves in various legal woes.
Despite all the controversy surrounding his career, Jones has remained on top by reigning over the UFC’s light heavyweight division for years, then moving up to heavyweight to claim the belt. He successfully defended his heavyweight title this past Saturday with a Round 3 TKO of Stipe Miocic in the UFC 309 headliner.
Meanwhile, McGregor hasn’t been able to maintain his success in the cage. A former UFC dual-champion, McGregor is coming off back-to-back stoppage losses to Dustin Poirier, and hasn’t fought since breaking his leg in his rematch with “The Diamond” in July 2021.
“Jon’s in a different category,” Rogan said on his “Joe Rogan Experience.” “Conor self-destructed in a lot of ways because of money. He took that fight with Floyd Mayweather, made a ton of money off that, and then took a long time before he came back to MMA, and he’s just not been the same guy since.
“And I think that’s just – it’s money, it’s a lot of partying, but it’s the same kind of thing. It’s just a wild (change). But when Conor was in his prime, he was a f*cking assassin.”
Rogan went on to rave about Jones’ accolades. Minus a disqualification blemish to Matt Hamill early in his career, “Bones” never has tasted defeat, and has taken out generations of talent.
“Jon is a special dude,” Rogan said. “When he’s gone, we’re all going to miss him. He’s a different kind of guy. I mean, he’s been at the top for 14 f*cking years. He was the youngest guy to ever win a UFC title, 23. … But when Jon Jones won that title at 23, it’s just been destruction of everyone ever since. Never ducked anybody, fought all the best, destroyed everybody, and dominated his division, (then) went up to heavyweight, dominates at heavyweight.”
Here’s what you need to know to watch UFC 309 on pay-per-view, ESPNews, Hulu, FX and ESPN+.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
The UFC’s 13th and penultimate pay-per-view event of 2024 goes down Saturday in the “Big Apple.”
Here’s how to watch UFC 309 with the heavyweight title on the line at the top of the card at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Broadcast and streaming info
Jon Anik
UFC 309 has a main card that begins at 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT) on pay-per-view (via ESPN+). The four-fight preliminary card airs on ESPNews, FX and Hulu at 8 p.m. ET. Three early prelims air on Hulu and stream on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET.
[autotag]Dan Hellie[/autotag] will host the official UFC 309 weigh-in show on Friday.
He’ll be joined by UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag], coach [autotag]Din Thomas[/autotag] and [autotag]Laura Sanko[/autotag].
Former UFC title challengers [autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] and [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag], as well as retired lightweight contender [autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag] will serve as a desk analysts on the UFC 309 post-fight show and throughout the card, when necessary. [autotag]Brendan Fitzgerald[/autotag] will serve as the host.
Longtime UFC correspondent [autotag]Megan Olivi[/autotag] will conduct pre and post-fight interviews backstage with some of the athletes on the UFC 309 card, as well as report additional real-time updates for the event.
[autotag]Jon Anik[/autotag] will serve as the leading man on the mic from cageside at UFC 309.
He will command play-by-play alongside color commentators and UFC Hall of Famer Cormier and [autotag]Joe Rogan[/autotag].
(Mike Bohn, MMA Junkie)
Main event: Jon Jones
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 04: Jon Jones looks on during the UFC heavyweight championship fight against Ciryl Gane of France during the UFC 285 event at T-Mobile Arena on March 04, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 775947443 ORIG FILE ID: 1471352966
Record: 27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC Opponent: Stipe Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) Division: Heavyweight Key wins: Ciryl Gane Misc.: Won vacant heavyweight title with first-round submission of Ciryl Gane in March 2023. That was his debut at heavyweight after years as the light heavyweight champion. He’s been on the shelf with an injury till now.
Main event: Stipe Miocic
Stipe Miocic
Record: 20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC Opponent: Jon Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) Division: Heavyweight Key wins: Daniel Cormier (twice), Francis Ngannou, Junior dos Santos, Alistair Overeem, Fabricio Werdum Misc.: Lost the heavyweight title in March 2021 to Ngannou. Was set to fight Jones a year ago until Jones’ injury took him out. Miocic chose to wait for Jones’ return rather than fight, putting his current layoff at around 44 months. Prior to this, the longest Miocic ever had gone without a fight was 13 months.
Co-main event: Michael Chandler
Nov 12, 2022; New York, NY, USA; Dustin Poirier (red gloves) and Michael Chandler (blue gloves) during UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jessica Alcheh-USA TODAY Sports
Record: 23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC Opponent: Charles Oliveira (34-10 MMA, 22-10 UFC) Division: Lightweight Key wins: Tony Ferguson, Dan Hooker Misc.: Former Bellator champion has had mixed success in the UFC, including a knockout loss to Oliveira in a title fight that he’ll be trying to avenge as an underdog Saturday.
Co-main event: Charles Oliveira
May 15, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Charles Oliveira applies a hold against Michael Chandler uring UFC 262 at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Record: 34-10 MMA, 22-10 UFC Opponent: Michael Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) Division: Lightweight Key wins: Beneil Dariush, Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, Chandler, Tony Ferguson Misc.: Oliveira already has one win over Chandler – a knockout to win the vacant lightweight title in 2021. He defended it against Poirier and beat Gaethje – but in a fight for which he missed weight and was stripped of the belt. After a loss to new champ Islam Makhachev, he rebounded against Dariush, but lost a likely title eliminator to Arman Tsarukyan in April.
UFC 309 main card betting odds
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – FEBRUARY 03: (R-L) Viviane Araujo of Brazil punches Natalia Silva of Brazil in a flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on February 03, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
Champ Jon Jones (-625) vs. Stipe Miocic (+455) – for heavyweight title
Michael Chandler (+205) vs. Charles Oliveira (-250)
Ahead of UFC 309, Joe Rogan marvels at what makes Jon Jones so difficult to deal with in the cage.
[autotag]Joe Rogan[/autotag] understands why UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag]’ physical attributes give him a major advantage.
Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) makes his first title defense against Stipe Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 309 (pay-per-view, ESPNews/Hulu/FX, ESPN+) main event at Madison Square Garden in New York.
As is the case for most of his fights, Jones will have a sizable reach advantage over Miocic. Rogan credits Jones’ distance management and sees it posing a big problem in his upcoming matchup.
“Jon Jones has the perfect fighter’s frame because he’s still very strong, he has a lot of muscle, but he’s also long and lean,” Rogan said in a recent episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience.” “So he’s not relatively bulky compared to his weight because he’s long and stretched out.
“If you have a distance like that between where a guy can hit you and you can’t hit him, you have to cross that, and you’re so vulnerable while crossing that. And if a guy’s a good counter striker, and he’s active and he’s long, they’re so hard to get in on. So, a guy like Jon, that’s always going to be an advantage.”
After reigning over the UFC’s light heavyweight division for more than a decade, Jones made his heavyweight debut against Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 in March 2023. He needed less than a round to submit Gane and claim the vacant heavyweight title.
“With Jon, if you do get in on him, that’s no picnic because he’s an elite grappler,” Rogan said. “So, he’s going to strangle you, he’s going to throw you to the ground. So like, you’re f*cked. On the outside, he’s kicking the sh*t out of your knees. Jon was one of the nastiest at side-kicking people’s knees out.”
Unsurprisingly, UFC CEO Dana White reveled in Donald Trump’s election win as he addressed the crowd at Mar-a-Lago.
Despite his status as a political pariah four years ago, former President Donald Trump pulled off a decisive victory over Vice President Kamala Harris as he was elected to another term Wednesday.
Influential in Trump’s 2024 victory was UFC CEO [autotag]Dana White[/autotag], who has been among his biggest public supporters. Through the UFC, White gave Trump a platform to appeal to young, male voters, which played a big part in his re-election.
That was not lost on Trump, who invited White onstage to address his supporters Wednesday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in West Palm Beach, Fla. White took the opportunity to revel in his good friend’s win.
“Nobody deserves this more than him, and nobody deserves this more than his family does,” White said. “This is what happens when the machine comes after you. What you’ve seen over the last several years, this is what it looks like. Couldn’t stop him, he keeps going forward, he doesn’t quit, he’s the most resilient, hard-working man I’ve ever met in my life, his family are incredible people.
“This is karma, ladies and gentlemen. He deserves this. They deserve it as a family.”
WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 06: Dana White is invited to speak at Donald Trump’s rally celebrating his 2024 election win. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Before stepping away from the podium, White followed up those words by thanking a list of influencers/podcasters who welcomed Trump as a guest on their shows during the campaign – the Nelk Boys, Adin Ross, Theo Vonn, “Bussin’ with the Boys” (hosted by Will Compton and Taylor Lewan), and finally “the mighty and powerful [autotag]Joe Rogan[/autotag].”
The unbeaten phenom has now knocked out featherweight greats Alexander Volkanovski and Holloway back-to-back, and Rogan raved about Topuria’s well-rounded skillset.
“Ilia is fast as f*ck,” Rogan said in a recent episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience.” “He’s not slow at all. He doesn’t have any disadvantages. He doesn’t have any weaknesses, man. That’s the thing. That’s why I say he’s the new high-water mark. There’s people that are thinking he’s the best pound-for-pound fighter alive.
“There’s a lot of discussion about that online. It’s a little premature, especially with Jon Jones still out there, and there are other elite guys still out there – Islam Makhachev is another one. There’s a real argument that he’s the best pound-for-pound guy alive, but it’s f*cking close. Ilia – he might be the best.”
Topuria’s first seven professional wins all came by submission until he scored his first-career knockout in November 2019 – his final fight before signing with the UFC. Since then, “El Matador” has fallen in love with his boxing, scoring knockouts in five of his next eight fights.
“Once he gets a hold of you, it’s so dangerous,” Rogan said during his Fight Companion podcast. “He gets a title shot, I think. … Not just that (beating Whittaker in the first round), but ran through him. He didn’t get touched. He ran through him and strangled him in the first round. He might be the guy. Think about this at 185: So this guy was killing himself to get to 170. At 185, he’s the f*cking man. That guy’s a scary ass motherf*cker – scary. That grappling is next level.”
After losing his title to Du Plessis by split decision at UFC 297, Strickland rebounded with a win over Paulo Costa at UFC 302 in June. He refuses to compete again unless it’s a title-fight rematch against Du Plessis.
However, Strickland’s title opportunity could be in danger. Du Plessis’ head coach, Morne Visser, posted on Instagram that they want Chimaev next on Feb. 8 at UFC 312 in Sydney.
Donald Trump and Joe Rogan will sit down in Austin, Texas this Friday for a taping of “The Joe Rogan Experience.”
Former U.S. president and republican presidential nominee Donald Trump will appear on the wildly popular “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, according to reports.
Various media outlets, including NBC News, report that Rogan is scheduled to tape a podcast with Trump on Friday in Austin, Texas. The episode will then be released at a future date before the Nov. 5 presidential election.
The news of Trump’s appearance comes days after reports that U.S. vice president and democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris was in talks to appear on the podcast. It’s unclear if Harris has finalized her appearance or if discussions are still ongoing.
Trump and Rogan’s public discourse has varied over time. Rogan has publicly voiced his alignment with Trump on some issues, while also being critical on others.
Trump has long expressed interest in appearing on the podcast, though Rogan previously seemed hesitant to have him on.
“By the way, I’m not a Trump supporter in any way, shape or form,” Rogan told Lex Fridman in 2022. “I’ve had the opportunity to have him on my show more than once. I’ve said no every time. I don’t want to help him. I’m not interested in helping him.”
While Trump has been largely complimentary of Rogan, he did not take lightly to the comedian and UFC commentator’s praise of independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy in August.
After Rogan said Kennedy was “the only one who makes sense to me (for president),” Trump ripped him on Truth Social.
“It will be interesting to see how loudly Joe Rogan gets BOOED the next time he enters the UFC Ring??? MAGA2024,” Trump wrote.
[lawrence-related id=2780805,2780592]
It’s unclear when the podcast episode will air or how long it will be.
“The Joe Rogan Experience” is one of the most-listened-to podcasts in the world, across multiple platforms. Its current top episode is a 2018 appearance by Elon Musk, which currently has 68+ million views on YouTube (not including the listens and views on other streaming platforms).
