JRE MMA Show #177 - Protect Ya Neck
Joe Rogan (host), Din Thomas (guest), Din Thomas (guest), Joe Rogan (host), Joe Rogan (host), Matt Serra (guest), Joe Rogan (host), John Rallo (guest), Matt Serra (guest), Din Thomas (guest)
In this episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, featuring Joe Rogan and Din Thomas, JRE MMA Show #177 - Protect Ya Neck explores mMA rules, fighters, streaming future, and nerd culture tangents collide Din Thomas recounts a wild early-2000s story about Tommy Lee wanting UFC training to fight Kid Rock, illustrating how celebrity and combat-sports publicity intersect.
MMA rules, fighters, streaming future, and nerd culture tangents collide
Din Thomas recounts a wild early-2000s story about Tommy Lee wanting UFC training to fight Kid Rock, illustrating how celebrity and combat-sports publicity intersect.
The group debates MMA rules and fighter safety—especially knees to a downed opponent, oblique kicks, steel cups, eye pokes, and the need for clearer point deductions and better glove design.
They assess eras and legends (BJ Penn, Diego Sanchez, Fabricio Werdum, Murilo Bustamante) while arguing modern fans often forget how dominant past greats were.
They discuss the business shift toward streaming (Paramount/Netflix), why getting people to pay for PPVs is harder now, and how new platforms could improve fighter leverage and pay.
The conversation frequently detours into entertainment and “nerd culture” (Game of Thrones, Star Wars/Marvel, VR shooters, UFO lore), framing fandom as escape and community similar to fight culture.
Key Takeaways
Eye pokes need automatic, consistent punishment.
They argue referee discretion is too lenient and propose an immediate one-point deduction for any clear eye poke to deter extended fingers and protect fighters’ careers.
Get the full analysis with uListen
Glove design is a solvable safety problem.
Rogan praises curved-knuckle designs (Wittman/Pride-like) and even suggests “mitten-style” covered fingertips to reduce accidental pokes without harming grappling.
Get the full analysis with uListen
Some legal equipment is an unfair ‘hidden weapon.’
Steel cups are described as both protection and a leverage tool in grappling (mount pressure, armbars), raising questions about what should be permitted in a regulated sport.
Get the full analysis with uListen
MMA scoring still doesn’t reflect true dominance.
They criticize boxing-derived 10-point must scoring for treating razor-close rounds similarly to near-finishes, and advocate more frequent 10-8s/10-7s and broader criteria (submission threats, aggression, control).
Get the full analysis with uListen
Streaming changes the economics more than PPV ever could.
They frame Netflix/Paramount distribution as a different model—subscriptions fund big events, potentially boosting viewership and giving fighters negotiating leverage versus PPV-only monetization.
Get the full analysis with uListen
Legacy greatness disappears fast without storytelling.
Examples like GSP and Bustamante highlight how quickly fans forget peak dominance unless promotions/media actively contextualize past eras and achievements.
Get the full analysis with uListen
Controlled environments matter for elite competition.
They’re excited but skeptical about an outdoor ‘White House card,’ warning heat, humidity, rain, and insects can distort outcomes—especially after weight cuts.
Get the full analysis with uListen
Notable Quotes
“Tommy Lee wants to fight Kid Rock in the UFC.”
— Din Thomas
“If you can kick in the knees, you should be able to kick in the nuts.”
— Joe Rogan
“You have to have pads on your knuckles, and you got an armor plate over your cock.”
— Joe Rogan
“The scoring system sucks because we stole it from boxing.”
— Joe Rogan
“Poke in the eye… one point every fucking time.”
— Joe Rogan
Questions Answered in This Episode
On the Tommy Lee/Kid Rock story: how close did it actually get to real negotiations, and what stopped it besides image risk?
Din Thomas recounts a wild early-2000s story about Tommy Lee wanting UFC training to fight Kid Rock, illustrating how celebrity and combat-sports publicity intersect.
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
If steel cups create grappling leverage advantages, should commissions standardize cups (material/shape) or ban rigid cups entirely?
The group debates MMA rules and fighter safety—especially knees to a downed opponent, oblique kicks, steel cups, eye pokes, and the need for clearer point deductions and better glove design.
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
What specific glove changes (curve, finger coverage, stiffness) would best reduce eye pokes without harming grappling exchanges?
They assess eras and legends (BJ Penn, Diego Sanchez, Fabricio Werdum, Murilo Bustamante) while arguing modern fans often forget how dominant past greats were.
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
How would you redesign MMA scoring to value submission threats and near-finishes without making judging even more subjective?
They discuss the business shift toward streaming (Paramount/Netflix), why getting people to pay for PPVs is harder now, and how new platforms could improve fighter leverage and pay.
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
Where should the line be between ‘real fight’ authenticity (downed-opponent knees) and sport safety—what data would change your mind?
The conversation frequently detours into entertainment and “nerd culture” (Game of Thrones, Star Wars/Marvel, VR shooters, UFO lore), framing fandom as escape and community similar to fight culture.
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
Transcript Preview
[upbeat music] Joe Rogan Podcast, check it out.
The Joe Rogan Experience.
Train by day, Joe Rogan Podcast by night. All day.
[upbeat music] Hello, boys.
My man.
Hey, what's up, brother?
Good to see you. [laughs]
We're back in action.
[laughs]
We're back. [laughs]
We're back.
[laughs]
We were just talking and I told Rallo-
I called to get on
... I told Rallo, "Save this for the air." 'Cause Rallo, years ago, shit, this had to be, like, at least 10 years ago.
Oh, no, 20.
20 years ago?
That was like 2006, 2007.
That's crazy.
Yeah, dude.
So 20 years ago, Rallo calls me up [laughs] and he says, "Tommy Lee wants to meet you. He wants to talk to you about something." I go, "Okay, sure." So we go to see his concert. That was when he was at Rock and Roll Supernova, the TV show.
Yeah, the TV show, that's right.
So he had a TV show and-
It was at Long Beach.
Right, right. It was a good show.
You, you, you and Eddie came.
Me and Eddie Bravo came. And then, uh, afterwards... First of all, Tommy Lee has the dopest green room. Like, he sets his green room up like a fucking after-hours party.
Yeah, he has a mansion. [laughs]
He's got, like, tapestries on the wall, and candles, and lights.
Incense.
Yeah, you walk in, you're like, "Damn." Like, he doesn't just-
His DJ gear.
Yeah, he doesn't just walk into a cold green room. Like, I'm lazy.
Right, you got a... Yeah.
If I go on the road, I just g- "What, what's your green room? I'll go hang out in there."
Right.
It's like, it doesn't... just walk. But he has it set up. Like, everywhere is, like, calm, and relaxing, and spiritual. And, uh, so I meet Tommy, and Tommy wants to fight Kid Rock in the UFC.
[laughs]
[laughs] This-
[laughs] Wow.
This was true. This was-
What makes people think they can do this?
It's what Pam Anderson's heart.
Yeah, well.
No, wait. This is how it started.
Is that when everyone-
Pam Anderson
This is kinda how it started.
That was that way with Pam.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Like, you know, they both were married to her, so [clears throat] Tommy and her are always gonna be connected 'cause of the kids. So she had split up with Kid Rock, and Kid Rock was emailing her, texting her, I guess, you know, still trying to get with her. Tommy is with her, not together, but, you know, they were together that day. And he s- she asks him, you know, "You're friends with him. Can you call him and tell him to stop calling me and shit?" And Tommy's like, "I don't wanna get in the middle of that shit."
Oh, boy.
And she's like, you know, "If y- you know, please." So he winds up hitting, you know, him up, and like, "Look, dude, you know, I don't really wanna make this call," blah, blah, blah. Of course, Kid Rock took the heat. "Fuck you," you know, blah, blah. So they're fucking each other back and forth. Goes away. [clears throat] Now, there was some MTV Awards thing.
Install uListen to search the full transcript and get AI-powered insights
Get Full TranscriptGet more from every podcast
AI summaries, searchable transcripts, and fact-checking. Free forever.
Add to Chrome