UFC's Joe Rogan apologizes for questioning Jose Aldo's physique at UFC 194

UFC broadcaster Joe Rogan has released a formal apology to former UFC champ Jose Aldo and his head coach, Andre Pederneiras, for his controversial comments regarding Aldo’s physique at UFC 194.

Rogan may be one of the UFC’s most recognizable voices, but at heart, the color commentator is still a fan of the sport. Like most fans, Rogan questions, criticizes, debates, and, fairly or not, can jump to conclusions.mmajunkie.com/2015/12/ufc-194-results-conor-mcgregor-kos-jose-aldo-in-just-13-seconds-to-win-145-title

He did that during Aldo’s (25-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) introduction for his UFC 194 bout with Conor McGregor (19-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC), which the Brazilian lost by 13-second knockout to end his more than 10-year undefeated streak

Leaked production audio (via Youtube) from UFC 194 surfaced after the event, and it features Rogan observing Aldo and calling him “soft,” “deflated” and “nervous” from his cageside position. Moreover, Rogan said Aldo’s body looked “way different” from previous bouts but also said he didn’t want to “jump to conclusions”:

Rogan’s comments fueled some skepticism about Aldo (via Youtube):

Despite the fact “Scarface” has been drug tested eight times by U.S. Anti-Doping Agency since the company formed a relationship with the UFC in July, the online community began a witch-hunt that included side-by-side photos of Aldo at UFC 194 and previous bouts.

Aldo’s longtime coach, Pederneiras, responded to Rogan on Twitter:

Shortly afterward Rogan issued a formal apology via Instagram.

“There was an audio ‘leak’ from inside the UFC production truck right before Saturday night’s fight where I said that Jose Aldo’s body looked smooth and deflated, and that I didn’t want to jump to any conclusions and that it could have just been from doing a lot of cardio,” he wrote. “I also said he looked nervous. Needless to say this caused a lot of controversy,” Rogan wrote. “Since then people have posted photos of Aldo recently as well as from this fight, and he looked very similar. So for that, I stand corrected. My apologies for being wrong to Aldo and his trainer Andre Pederneiras. I have nothing but admiration and respect for both of them.

“This wasn’t supposed to be a public conversation, I was just talking to my friend the producer in the truck privately. As you can see from this photo from earlier in his career his body looked different from how he looked Saturday night. There are several possible reasons for that, one of them being that the 1st photo is him moving, and another that he had endurance problems in the later rounds of his fights and might have leaned out.”

Rogan also addressed another newsworthy comment made in the fallout of UFC 194. With a current debate about whether McGregor should give Aldo an immediate rematch, defend against Frankie Edgar, or move up to the lightweight division, Rogan weighed in with his opinion and said his preference is a fight between McGregor and Edgar, but he clarified his desire for the matchup is not out of disrespect for Aldo.

“Another thing some were upset with was that I didn’t want an immediate rematch, and that I thought Conor should fight Frankie Edgar,” Rogan wrote. “My reasons for this are that I think Frankie stylistically is a great match up for Conor. I also think that when someone suffers a brutal knockout, they should take a lot of time off to recover.

“I’m not a promoter, and I don’t get to decide who fights who or when, and for that I’m grateful. What I am though, is someone who respects and cares very deeply for fighters and their health. Too many times I’ve seen fighters come back too soon from being KO’d and watch them not be able to absorb punishment anymore.”

At the conclusion of his apology, Rogan made a point to declare his appreciation for Aldo and his many contributions to the sport. Rogan said Aldo’s 10-year undefeated streak and nearly five-year title reign are accomplishments befitting an all-time great, and that he’d like to see Aldo make an attempt to regain the title.

“Aldo is on my short list of all time favorite fighters, along with Wanderlei Silva, Anderson Silva, (Georges St-Pierre), (Demetrious Johnson), and Fedor (Emelianenko),” Rogan wrote. “I would love to see Aldo back motivated for revenge and gunning to regain his title. First, though, I’d like to see him rest and recover. Again, my apologies to Jose Aldo and Andre Pederneiras and anyone else I offended with my opinions.”

For complete coverage of UFC 194, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

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