UFC colour commentator Joe Rogan took to Instagram this evening to apologise for his interviewing Daniel Cormier in the Octagon immediately after he suffered a devastating 3rd round KO to Jon Jones.
Rogan wrote:
My apologies to D.C. And to everyone else upset at me for interviewing him after the fight. In all honestly I was kind of in shock and I don't think I realized what I was doing until I had a mic in my hand and I was talking to him.
I've said that I don't want to interview fighters after they've been KO'ed and then I did it to someone that I care a great deal about. It was 100% my fuck up and no one pressured me to do it.
I posted a series of tweets about it on twitter but I know some of you folks only use instagram or Facebook so I thought the right thing to do is post it here as well.
I was beating myself up about it all night, and whenever something like that happens it's always my sincere intention to apologize and express my honest feelings.
It'll never happen again.
I understand why Rogan apologised. To expect someone who has suffered head trauma to seconds later speak in front of the world and 'give their take' on the beating they've suffered seems a bit much.
However Cormier's corner had plenty of opportunity to lead 'DC' out of the ring before the opportunity came for him to be interview. Most defeated fighters leave when the victor is making their speech. Also the UFC have had no issue with posting the video on YouTube... so far it has garnered over 1 million views:
I find it ironic that we lock two men on the cage and let them beat each other to a pulp for 15 to 25 minutes... yet feel the need to apologise when we expose them as being only human, with normal human fragilities.
In all honesty, the camera did not lie. Everyone saw how angry, confused, hurt and sadden Cormier was by defeat to his bitter rivalry. All Rogan did was enable Cormier to put some context and words to his feelings.
Pre-fight interviews... post fight interviews... for better or worse are part of "The Show". The more content you can get the better. The viewer is king. And the viewer laps up these moments. To see the protagonists laid bear in the shining moment and darkest hour.
When Cormier is not fighting in the Octagon, he himself is either commentating or analysing fights for Fox;
So Cormier knows the game... he have revelled in victory, with little regard for his foes:
Now he is lamenting in defeat... and the 'meme brigade' won't let him forget this in a hurry:
Ultimately, prizefighting is theatre. A sometimes cruel, a lot of the time bloody production. And Rogan and Cormier served up a thirty second cameo that will live in the memory for a long time.