Joe Rogan has admitted he was always "freaked out" by one UFC fighter who baffled doctors following physical examination.
Rogan, who has worked for the UFC since 2002, has seen most of the best MMA fighters up close while commentating on the fights over the past two decades.
From Jon Jones and Conor McGregor, to BJ Penn and Vitor Belfort, Rogan can give a calculated opinion on most fighters.
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Despite featuring regularly on UFC broadcasts, Rogan is not afraid to tell stories or even propose recommendations for the promotion.
Speaking on his podcast ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ with comedian Tom Segura in 2020, Rogan told an interesting story about a former UFC star.
He claimed the fighter even stunned doctors "who had never seen anyone like him".
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"[UFC President] Dana White gave me this information," Rogan explained.
"They brought in Yoel Romero because he had a fractured orbital in one of his fights, and, they bring him in, and he gets examined by this doctor, and the doctor calls the UFC up afterwards (sic) and says, 'Where did you get this guy?'
"I've never seen anyone like him,' 'Oh, yeah, he's an amazing athlete.' 'No, no, no. I've never seen a human being like this.' 'This is the most unusual human being I've ever seen in my 40 years of practising medicine.'"
"[The doctor] said [Romero's] tendons in his eyes are four times larger than a normal person's," added Rogan.
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"He goes, 'His physical structure is different than any human being I've ever seen in my life.'"
This was not the first time the 57-year-old had voiced his fascination with the Cuban fighter.
Speaking to former UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal on JRE in June 2024, he explained how Romero "freaked" him out due to his unusual physical stature.
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"The only guy who freaked me out was Yoel," Rogan told Masvidal.
"Yoel Romero would look so big at 185 pounds, you're like, 'How is that 185 pounds? How is that even possible? He looks like a heavyweight.'"
"I've known Yoel since he got to America," Masvidal replied.
"I was a fan of him before; I remember watching him compete in the Olympics.
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"Obviously, he's Cuban, so my whole family, everybody, we were always cheering for this dude. This dude was f**ing Roy Jones Jr type cloth."
Romero entered the UFC after the promotion he was signed to, Strikeforce, was purchased by the company - allowing the fighter to make his debut for MMA's premier promotional outfit at 36 years old with a win over Clifford Starks In April 2013.
He went on an eight-fight winning streak, earning him a shot at Robert Whittaker's interim middleweight title in 2017 but lost by unanimous decision, which started a torrid run of one win in his final five fights within the UFC.
Romero signed a multi-fight deal with Bellator in 2021. Despite being 47, he has shown no signs of giving up MMA anytime soon.
Luke Davies