Joe Rogan has recently provided fresh details regarding the pivotal “intervention” that ultimately led to Brendan Schaub`s departure from professional MMA, an event that remains a significant talking point in podcast history. In December 2014, Schaub, a former UFC heavyweight contender, reportedly harbored intentions of surprising Cain Velasquez in the Octagon. However, Rogan delivered a “brutal reality check” that dramatically altered Schaub`s career path. The footage of Rogan`s candid, tough-love conversation with his close friend continues to go viral more than a decade later. The long-time UFC commentator has now elaborated on the urgent reasons behind his insistence that Schaub retire from professional fighting.
Joe Rogan Details Brendan Schaub`s Intervention
Brendan Schaub had just endured a first-round knockout loss to Travis Browne at UFC 181, marking his fourth professional KO defeat across a 10-5 career record. Yet, as Rogan now reveals, the situation was even more dire: Schaub was frequently being knocked out during his training sessions. Given that his primary sparring partner for years was former interim heavyweight champion Shane Carwin, Rogan`s profound concerns about Schaub`s accumulating history of concussions appear both well-founded and thoroughly justified.
“For me, the hardest one was Schaub, because Schaub didn’t wanna quit,” Rogan shared on a recent episode of his podcast. “The thing about Brendan, people don’t know, is how many concussions he took outside of the fights. You see the fights, but he used to spar with Shane Carwin, man… Brendan Schaub and him used to spar all the time, and he would get knocked out all the time. He would get concussions all the time. He got a concussion days before he fought Ben Rothwell, he got a concussion days before he fought [Minotauro] Nogueira. Like, he was getting concussions all the time in the gym.
“So, I knew about all that s—, too, and I was seeing the effects. I was like, ‘You’ve got to get out now! If you don’t get out now, there’s no happy ending.’ There’s no happy ending for the guy that gets knocked out a lot. It’s terrible.”
Joe Rogan`s Emotional Reflection on Daniel Cormier
Rogan`s revealing comments about Brendan Schaub came directly after a reflective segment discussing Daniel Cormier’s distinguished career. As long-time friends and professional colleagues, Rogan admitted he found it profoundly difficult to witness Cormier`s significant losses within the UFC. He became visibly emotional, reflecting on Cormier’s knockout defeats against formidable opponents Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic, underscoring the deep personal toll such moments take on those closely involved.
“It’s real hard when you watch your friends get beat up,” Rogan shared, visibly moved. “Real hard. It was real hard watching Cormier when Jones beat him up. That was hard. The Stipe one was hard, especially the one where Stipe KO’d him against the cage. It’s just hard.
“Because you know them. You know them as human beings. You know what that’s going to do to them. It’s f—— devastating. It’s like a loss. It’s like you lost a family member or you lost a dog. It’s hard. I start crying.”
