JRE MMA Show #177 - Protect Ya Neck
Rogan and his guests — combat sports veterans Matt Serra and Din Thomas — dive deep into MMA history, fighting philosophy, and the evolution of combat sports. The conversation covers everything from legendary fighters like BJ Penn and GSP to modern rule debates, submission techniques, and emerging talent in striking-focused promotions like ONE Championship, offering both historical context and practical insights for understanding contemporary MMA.
Key takeaways
- • Steel cups should be mandatory in MMA like mouthpieces are, since they eliminate groin-strike injuries entirely and turn a potential weapon against an opponent; the fact that top-level fighters don't universally wear them is a missed safety optimization.
- • Knees to the head of a downed opponent should be legal in MMA because they create realistic fighting conditions and make takedown defense more viable, preventing wrestlers from relying entirely on positional control.
- • BJ Penn in his prime (training with the Marinoviches) is arguably the best 145-pound fighter of all time due to his extraordinary flexibility, well-rounded skillset, and conditioning that allowed him to compete across multiple weight classes while remaining dominant.
- • Charles Oliveira's jiu-jitsu off his back ranks among the most dangerous submission threats in MMA history; his ability to threaten submissions frequently is more valuable than simply holding position, making ground control scoring more nuanced than current 10-9 systems allow.
- • Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev represent the next generation of elite MMA skill development, with documented training methodologies that create fighters operating at a higher technical level than previous eras — a potential super-fight between them at welterweight would showcase unprecedented skill concentration.
- • Emerging striking-focused promoters like ONE Championship feature world-class Muay Thai and kickboxing talent (like 22-year-old Dagistani striker Asodulla Imangazaliev) that the UFC ignores; a dedicated UFC striking division with MMA gloves on Muay Thai rules would capitalize on massive audience interest currently underserved by grappling-heavy cards.
Recommendations (10)
"I got to take you to Tios, bro. You'll love this pizza. No bleach, no probate. Don't give me nothing. But it's so I because I could eat it. I could eat three slices on the way to my school and I'm ..."
Matt Serra · ▶ 2:11:45
"So, it's even my wife now orders the the zero zero flour, the Yeah, we get that shit where she bakes the bread, she makes the pizza, she makes fresh bread."
Matt Serra · ▶ 2:12:10
"I'm in the middle of finishing the first season of Game of Thrones. I haven't seen it since like 2015 or 2011. It's fucking amazing. I forgot so much."
Matt Serra · ▶ 22:04
"Did you ever watch the House of the Dragon? It's a lot of cool shit but there's no one to root for."
Joe Rogan · ▶ 23:01
"You got to watch that. You got to text me after you watch The Night of the Seven Kingdoms cuz it's all out. You could binge it."
John Rallo · ▶ 27:03
"It's really good. It's really funny. What is that on? I'm almost seasoned on the sci-fi network years ago. It was un like unappreciated series. like one of the greatest sci-fi series of all time, t..."
Joe Rogan · ▶ 2:39:08
"I was so depressed when I got here. I I brought my Meta Quest and I realized I brought two right controllers. I'm like no."
Din Thomas · ▶ 2:26:13
"I just got a I I think I heard you talking about it and I put it in I got on Amazon Prime. I bought the first season."
Joe Rogan · ▶ 2:41:06
Mentioned (11)
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