Joe Rogan's instant reaction Dricus du Plessis beating Sean Strickland at UFC 297 speaks volumes
Joe Rogan didn't hide his opinion of the fight.
Joe Rogan's instant reaction to Dricus du Plessis beating Sean Strickland at UFC 297 tells you everything about what he made of the fight.
Du Plessis made history on Saturday evening by becoming the first South African champion in UFC history. The 30-year-old beat American star Strickland in Toronto in the first pay-per-view fight of the year, but he was by no means the clear winner.
Both men landed some serious blows on each other, with Du Plessis suffering a severely swollen eye and Strickland having to repeatedly wipe blood out of his eyes during the final rounds.
In the end Du Plessis did enough to convince two of the judges that he was the victor, meaning he won a narrow split decision of 48-47 to prevent Strickland from defending his middleweight title.
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The challenger came into the fight undefeated in his UFC career, winning six fights against the likes of Darren Till, Derek Brunson and Robert Whittaker.
However, Strickland had enjoyed a three-fight winning streak since losing to Jared Cannonier, having beaten Nassourdine Imavov, Abusupiyan Magomedov and Israel Adesanya.
It wasn't a great shock to see Du Plessis come out on top, but based on what he saw in the fight, UFC commentator and podcaster Joe Rogan was certainly surprised by the South African's win.
Rogan watched the fight as part of a livestream for his podcast and YouTube channel, The Joe Rogan Experience.
When Du Plessis was announced as the winner, Rogan could not hide his surprise.
"Wow! Interesting, very interesting" he reacted. "I wonder how the people online feel about that."
While Rogan was suprised, he didn't have any skin in the fight. The same cannot be said for Canadian rapper Drake, who once again proved the he is cursed when it comes to betting on UFC fights.
The four-time Grammy winner placed a $700,000 (£551,000) bet on Strickland to win, just the latest example of him losing a six-figure sum thanks to his gambling habit.
Du Plassis will move on to potential meetings with Israel Adesnaya and Khamzat Chimaev, while Strickland will look to go again by beating a top contender.
Alex Brotherton