Joe Rogan has criticised the Nevada State Athletic Commission for not letting Jon Jones fight at UFC 232 in Las Vegas.
Longtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan has condemned the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s decision to not let Jon Jones fight at UFC 232 in Nevada.
The card is now taking place at The Forum in Inglewood, California, a move in which Rogan can’t quite understand. Talking on the most recent edition of The Joe Rogan Experience, he expressed his frustration with the decision to move the card.
(Transcription via MMAjunkie)
“What the (expletive) are you doing? You’re going to let him fight in California? Let him (expletive) fight in Nevada. It’s stupid. It’s stupidity. In this case, it’s stupid. I’m upset. I just wanted this fight to take place without any bull(expletive) behind it. I just want it to be a great fight. It’s an amazing matchup.”
It was revealed last Sunday that the former UFC light heavyweight champion Jones had tested positive for a trace amount of Turinabol, the same substance found in his system after his rematch with Daniel Cormier in July 2017. Despite not violating USADA rules, Nevada would not license Jones to fight on December 29th.
“I don’t understand why they couldn’t just do this in Nevada. I guess they’re on vacation or some (expletive). That’s crazy. Figure it out. Let’s make a phone call. Isn’t there one person? One person should say, ‘OK, is it, to the best of your knowledge, absolutely from the original test?’ ‘Yes sir, by all the science, we’ll submit the science, show you the science, tell you the number.’ ‘OK, let him fight.’
“Here’s the question: Have other people still been punished for the exact same crime?” Rogan said. “Have other people tested positive for the exact same thing? This is what I do not know. Is this preferential treatment? That’s what the argument would be: Is it preferential treatment? Because tainted supplements are a legitimate problem.”
UFC 232 takes place this Saturday night, December 29th. As well as a 205-pound title fight between Jones and top contender Alexander Gustafsson, a women’s featherweight title fight between Cris Cyborg and Amanda Nunes will take place on the card.