Joe Rogan unbothered by Ronda Rousey attacks on his UFC expertise

As quickly as it bubbled up, Joe Rogan is squashing any semblance of a feud with UFC legend Ronda Rousey.

During a podcast appearance last week, Rousey took Rogan to task for his lack of firsthand UFC experience, saying the popular ringside commentator and podcast host is “not an expert” but merely “a fan with an audience.”

Worse yet, the jab came in an appearance with well-known Rogan pal Bert Kreischer. And yet in a rare occurrence, Rogan is taking the criticism on the chin. While describing how he tries to avoid pushback against his opinions online, Rogan addressed the viral clips of Rousey.

“The Ronda Rousey one didn’t really bother me,” Rogan said.

The Joe Rogan Experience host even acknowledged that Rousey has a point.

“When she said I wasn’t an expert, everyone’s entitled to their opinion,” Rogan said. “But you’ve gotta understand why she thinks like that, because she has a champion mentality. ‘You never fought, you ain’t sh*t.’ It’s real simple … I get it. It’s totally fine.”

Rogan also elaborated on the background that went into Rousey’s comments.

Near the end of Rousey’s career, Rogan explained, he stated publicly that Rousey should take a break after her 2015 loss to Holly Holm. Rogan also was critical about the marketing around Rousey’s return to the octagon against Amanda Nunes the following year, arguing that the UFC was misleading fans by hyping Rousey’s return rather than the greatness (and likely victory) of Nunes.

Rogan understands why Rousey, as a fierce competitor, likely didn’t appreciate his take on what ended up being the final fights of her career.

“When you watch a fight and you’re watching you get your a** kicked and the (commentator) is talking about how great the other person is doing and how bad you’re doing, that doesn’t sit well with a lot of people,” Rogan explained. “Especially someone who’s got that type of champion mentality, that type of f*cking pitbull mentality.”

Still, Rogan reiterated multiple times that he has strong respect for what Rousey accomplished. And he believes the tongue lashing she gave him on Kreischer’s podcast is the perfect embodiment of what makes Rousey great.

“She’s a legend. I’ve got nothing but love and respect for that lady. What she did was so impressive,” Rogan said.

“She was the first legitimate female superstar. She made the UFC female division possible. If it wasn’t for her, Dana was very open about never having female UFC fighters. It took someone that was that dynamic, that special, to open his eyes and go, ‘You know what, I think this lady’s a star.’”