One Championship: Joe Rogan says ‘it’s like Sage Northcutt was set up’ against Cosmo Alexandre
- UFC commentator weighs in again on Northcutt’s brutal knockout on debut in Singapore
- ‘This kid is just not ready for this yet,’ says Rogan
Joe Rogan has weighed in on Sage Northcutt’s One Championship debut again, saying he felt as if the former UFC fighter was almost “set up”.
“One punch, broke like eight bones in his face … this is not for the lighthearted,” UFC commentator Rogan said on his podcast. “I don’t wish that on anybody. I don’t like that match-up, I didn’t like it at all. I was like, ‘What are they doing?’
“That is a world champion striker, Cosmo is a f****** bad man, he lights people on fire. Him at 185 pounds with no weight cutting, and that’s one of the things that he said about that fight, how good he felt that he didn’t have to cut any weight. You see how thick and full he looked, he wasn’t depleted and dehydrated.”
Brazilian veteran Alexandre has seven kick-boxing world titles to his name and 69 wins from 88 fights – but he is no slouch in MMA either with an 8-1 record. “It’s also Cosmo having a chance to punch you with MMA gloves on too, the majority of his career he fought Muay Thai,” Rogan said.
One Championship: Dana White says Sage Northcutt should retire – ‘this isn’t the sport for him’
“Boom, that is a crazy punch,” Rogan added, watching footage of the fight. “This kid [Northcutt] is just not ready for this yet.
“As much as he has experience in karate, he had some good MMA fights against good fighters, this isn’t a good fighter, that’s an elite world-class striker and you’re fighting him with little gloves on in a ring.”
Rogan added he liked that One was staging some MMA fights in rings because the dynamics shift radically when fighters get cornered.
Rogan’s guest on the episode, UFC veteran Yves Edwards, said the ring played into Alexandre’s hands though.
“That’s where he’s spent most of his time, all of his time. Cutting that off is so much easier and for a guy who knows how to do that … it’s almost like Sage was set up. I’m not saying he was set up, that’s just a bad situation.”
Rogan concurred, saying: “It’s a different environment, it is like he was set up, yeah. I guess he didn’t have to take the fight. I should say, I don’t know how they [One] do their matchmaking.
“The UFC kind of forces fights on people, they let you know you take this fight or we’re probably not gonna call you, it’s up to you but if you want a career in the UFC you take fights when you get them.
“For every Jon Jones that can just step in the Octagon at 21 years old and start f****** people up,” Rogan added, “there’s so many young fighters that could be world champions but then they run into elite competition early in their career and get f***** up and then their dream kinda drifts away from them.”
Sityodtong still things Northcutt can achieve his dreams in One, however, by winning titles in MMA, karate and Muay Thai.
“All the negative fan talk in the States about Sage being sent the toughest monster in One is far from the truth,” Chatri told MMA Junkie. “Cosmo is a very tough, tough, elite fighter, but again, he was only 7-1 in MMA.
“I don’t know what all the hoopla was about, but yes, Cosmo is a world-class striker. And again, it’s because we have 140 world champions in One Championship.
“That’s what people don’t realise. The roster here is so deep and so talented, from any organisation, you can’t just walk in and expect to dominate.”
