JRE MMA Show #43 with Brendan Schaub
Brendan Schaub (guest), Joe Rogan (host), Jamie Vernon (host), Guest (guest), Narrator, Narrator, Jamie Vernon (host), Narrator
In this episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, featuring Brendan Schaub and Joe Rogan, JRE MMA Show #43 with Brendan Schaub explores rogan, Schaub dissect McGregor-Khabib, MMA politics, comedy, and culture Joe Rogan and Brendan Schaub bounce between deep MMA analysis, comedy-business talk, and broader cultural tangents in a freewheeling conversation. They break down Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov, Bellator’s Mousasi problem, and the UFC’s struggles booking Madison Square Garden. The pair also dive into USADA controversies, Jon Jones’ suspension, MeToo fallout for Louis C.K. and Aziz Ansari, and how fame, money, and media shape public redemption. Throughout, they weave in stories about theme parks, standup specials, parenting, and Schaub’s decision to pay fellow fighter Ray Borg’s son’s medical bills.
Rogan, Schaub dissect McGregor-Khabib, MMA politics, comedy, and culture
Joe Rogan and Brendan Schaub bounce between deep MMA analysis, comedy-business talk, and broader cultural tangents in a freewheeling conversation. They break down Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov, Bellator’s Mousasi problem, and the UFC’s struggles booking Madison Square Garden. The pair also dive into USADA controversies, Jon Jones’ suspension, MeToo fallout for Louis C.K. and Aziz Ansari, and how fame, money, and media shape public redemption. Throughout, they weave in stories about theme parks, standup specials, parenting, and Schaub’s decision to pay fellow fighter Ray Borg’s son’s medical bills.
Key Takeaways
The McGregor–Khabib matchup is far more competitive than simplistic narratives suggest.
Rogan and Schaub argue that while Khabib’s wrestling is elite, Conor’s timing, footwork, counterpunching, and improved boxing make early takedowns difficult and create real knockout danger; they expect a brutal, back-and-forth fight rather than a one-sided mauling.
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Gegard Mousasi’s move to Bellator shows how UFC talent valuation can misfire.
They highlight Mousasi’s win streak over top names and his dismantling of Rory MacDonald, noting the UFC chose not to match Bellator’s offer; Rogan suggests Mousasi might be top-three at middleweight globally, underscoring how politics and contracts shape rosters.
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USADA’s evolving policies create both necessary deterrence and serious collateral damage.
The discussion of Jon Jones, Josh Barnett, and Sean O’Malley shows how trace positives, lengthy investigations, and talk of “substantial assistance” (snitching) can ruin reputations and cost fighters prime earning years, even when tainted supplements are plausible.
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Redemption in the MeToo era requires more than silence and a quiet comeback.
On Louis C. ...
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Standup comedy at a high level is meticulous, iterative, and exhausting.
Rogan emphasizes filming and re-watching sets, micro-editing wording and movement, and doing multiple shows per night to ‘find’ bits; both note how comics can stagnate by repeating material, avoiding tape review, and failing to refine or replace jokes.
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Extreme weight cutting remains one of MMA’s biggest structural problems.
They point to Max Holloway’s issues and Conor’s own comments to argue repeated drastic cuts damage the body and get harder over time; they support ideas like adding a 165-pound division and pushing more fighters to move up in weight for safety.
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Fatherhood radically shifts priorities and deepens empathy, even in hyper-macho sports.
Schaub becomes visibly emotional describing Ray Borg’s hospitalized child and publicly promises to cover their medical bills, tying his reaction to having a young son himself; both note how becoming a father makes them more cautious, less selfish, and less tolerant of absentee dads.
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Notable Quotes
“Conor takes all the chips on that poker table, puts it all in the middle and goes, 'I'm all in. I do well under these circumstances. How do you respond?'”
— Brendan Schaub
“You’re talking about Khabib as the best grappler we’ve ever seen in the UFC and Conor as maybe the best striker we’ve ever seen. That’s what makes this fight so insane.”
— Joe Rogan
“We can’t just cast people out if they’ve made mistakes. There has to be a path to redemption for anyone who hasn’t committed actual rape or murder.”
— Joe Rogan
“If I’m a UFC fighter, I am hiring Malki to be my goddamn manager because what he’s done with Jon… that dude’s going to the end of the earth to fight for your freedom.”
— Brendan Schaub
“I DMed Ray Borg… I will pay for your medical bills, man. I got you, brother. I got you, man. Hit me up. It’s not a game.”
— Brendan Schaub
Questions Answered in This Episode
How much do you think psychological warfare and pre-fight promotion actually impact outcomes in elite MMA, beyond just hype and pay-per-view sales?
Joe Rogan and Brendan Schaub bounce between deep MMA analysis, comedy-business talk, and broader cultural tangents in a freewheeling conversation. ...
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Should MMA organizations radically reform weight-cutting practices, and what concrete changes (like new divisions or hydration testing) would be both safe and commercially viable?
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Where should the line be drawn between unforgivable misconduct and actions that deserve a path to public redemption in the comedy world and beyond?
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Do you believe USADA and similar anti-doping agencies currently strike the right balance between catching cheaters and protecting innocent or negligently sloppy athletes?
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Has the UFC’s handling of stars like Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, and Khabib Nurmagomedov ultimately strengthened or weakened the sport’s long-term credibility?
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Transcript Preview
Still no main event for Madison Square Garden.
I know. Four, three, two, one.
(sighs) (hands clap)
Booyah. Yeah, no main event for Madison Square Garden so far. The rumors were Jon Jones and Gustafsson, but I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know why that hasn't materialized.
Are they just waiting to announce it till after the whole Conor-Khabib thing?
Why would they do that? I think if they announce something, it's gotta be this weekend. I mean, we're ... What is it, November 3rd or something?
It's soon.
So it's a month.
It's super soon. Month.
Literally a month. Today's the 3rd, right? 2nd? Today's the 2nd.
Today's the 2nd.
Yeah. Fuck, man. That ain't good.
I th- ... Yeah. Maybe they just don't wanna steal any shine from the Conor-Khabib fight.
(sighs) I don't think so.
I don't know, man.
I think they just don't have a card yet.
I think they, they were banking on Jones to-
Right.
... fill that main event, but it, it's been tricky to fill that slot. But also, why not have ... If, if, if you're gonna do this, why not announce Nate Diaz, Dustin Poirier as your main event? That's a great main event. I can ride with that.
But why the main event though?
Why not do that and then advent- ... then announce Jon Jones and Gustafsson or Jon Jones and Cain if you want to?
But the main event is to be announced versus to be determined.
(laughs)
(laughs) That's the weirdest main event I've ever seen.
(laughs)
I've never seen a fucking pay-per-view, um, a month out that says, "To be announced," versus, "To be determined," in the main event.
Does that mean they have somebody booked and then they're not an opponent for them and they're not even announcing it?
Ooh.
Or they're just, like, decided to just be funny and write both verses?
That's a very good point, Jamie.
That's a good point, Jamie.
That's a very good point.
I would say they have no idea.
I think you just nailed it.
Maybe.
I think they have a guy that they want to fight another guy. I'd heard, uh ... Actually, I heard from you. (laughs)
(laughs) Damn, bro. (laughs)
That they were trying to do Jon Jones versus Cain.
That was the rumor mill that I got-
Oh.
A little birdie told me.
Yeah, that would be ... I, I'm all over that.
I would be all over that.
I'd be all over that.
This card's actually better than this weekend's card.
Stylebender's fighting Derek Brunson. That's the sleeper.
That's a great fight.
That's the sleeper on that card right there.
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