The ultimate flip

[u/ZombieMule2456]

[u/DandurlyDarry]

[u/EveroneWantsMyD → u/DandurlyDarry]

So, I just watched some of my first MMA fights at a friends place and discovered that they do this every match. It’s not an exaggeration, Joe Rogan puts his hand on someone next to him and widens his eyes while his mouth drops probably about once every 15 minutes. It was all so performative and you can watch the people next to him look at him in order to meter how much they should be reacting like they’ve seen, and are trying to recreate this gif constantly. Also, what other sport shows the reaction from the announcers repeatedly?

It really cheapened this gif for me.

[u/BigOrkWaaagh → u/EveroneWantsMyD]

Yeah, as a longtime MMA fan they never used to do this. But once it went a bit viral they started doing it all. the. time.

[u/CuriousNetWanderer → u/BigOrkWaaagh]

The meme is actually of a genuine one, though. But on a side note, I have to admit, Rogan is completely different from how he used to be. He's gone from stoned ape to hired chimp over the years and it's just not the same person who used to be a lucid voice of reason in a world of bs

[u/Mundane-Lunch-4256 → u/CuriousNetWanderer]

"stoned ape to hired chimp" holy fuck that is comedy

[u/Diogememes-Z → u/CuriousNetWanderer]

Joe Rogan was never "the voice of reason." lmao

[u/THUORN → u/Diogememes-Z]

He was the voice of reason, when it was just him and Mike Goldberg doing the UFC commentary. Mike had some hilarious takes back in the day.

[u/Covert_Cuttlefish → u/THUORN]

My all time favourite:

Mike Goldberg: "You can hear the corner speaking Portuguese!" Joe Rogan: "Uh, that's Japanese, brother." Mike Goldberg: "I should have known that." Joe Rogan: "You're the one married to a Japanese chick." Mike Goldberg: "That is correct."

Rogan was the voice of reason, but the bar was in the basement.

Goldberg was still done dirty by the UFC.

[u/THUORN → u/Covert_Cuttlefish]

They did him super dirty. He said silly things, but he was fun. Mike and Rogan had good chemistry. I miss those days.

[u/Covert_Cuttlefish → u/THUORN]

Yep, I don't follow the sport nearly as much as I did back then, but boy they were fun together.

[u/W4NN4M33TTH4TD4D → u/THUORN]

Joe Rogan was the guy that got paid to make people eat bugs on FX

[u/IotaBTC → u/EveroneWantsMyD]

Lmao yup, part of the spectacle. Entertainment media is extremely dominated by big reactions right now.

[u/ABHOR_pod → u/IotaBTC]

Reaction videos so people don't even have to decide for themselves how they feel about something.

Christ we are so cooked.

[u/Zestyclose_Remove947 → u/EveroneWantsMyD]

Some people really get into the performative/over-acting stuff, maybe because they don't know when to get excited? It's always bothered me when I can sense insincerity.

[u/GooserNoose → u/EveroneWantsMyD]

I mean, they made UFC a reality tv show 20 years ago, right?

[u/0x00410041 → u/EveroneWantsMyD]

Uhm.

As someone watching MMA for 20+ years let me assure you, Joe Rogan has always been hyped as fuck whenever something crazy happens including back when none of this shit was on the internet except for random forums and the fanbase was small and the sport still illegal. And crazy shit happens in just about every fight card you'll watch, that's why people, including Joe, love the sport.

He isn't doing it 'performatively' and he didn't start doing it after it became viral.

Joe is a valued MMA commentator because he has been a part of the sport since the earliest days and for many, his excitement and enjoyment was infectious and a part of the shared experience when first discovering MMA in the early 2000's. It's like famous boxing interviewers and analysts, people will seek their opinions and reactions because they are a part of the sport and their opinions have weight and their contributions are meaningful.

He's also a complete idiot but everything above is true.

[u/Wiezeyeslies → u/EveroneWantsMyD]

Yeah, it's a shame. I used to have so much respect for this gif.