Joe Rogan admitted to feeling a bit lost after watching Dana White's appearance at the recent MMA event.
With the UFC taking the weekend off, Adin Ross took over the META Apex to host his 14th Brand Risk event, with White also in attendance.
The main card featured a matchup between Johnny Manziel, once an NFL player, and social media personality Bob Menery. But it was a different fight that caught everyone's attention.
A prelim bout between Ray J and Supah Hot Fire had Rogan scratching his head, as he explained in Episode #2169 of The Joe Rogan Experience.
Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images
This event brought out an unusual mix of faces. Alongside Manziel and Menery, other fights featured internet personalities like Liltjayx6 and Chibu teaming up against Ice Spice and Tarzaned.
After finishing second best in his fight against Supah Hot Fire, Ray J wasted no time in calling out Dana White for another opportunity inside the cage.
But while Brand Risk 14 might have generated plenty of interest online for its unusual matchups and celebrity appearances, it's unlikely there will be much follow-up talk around any of these fighters stepping into bigger MMA events down the line. It all felt very much like a one-off spectacle rather than something with real staying power.
Ray J, once known for his work in music and TV, stepped into the cage to face internet personality Supah Hot Fire in a middleweight contest.
Supah Hot Fire delivered a brutal knockout that reportedly left Ray J with concussion-like symptoms. There were even claims that his heart rate had slowed down as a result.
But it was what happened after the fight that really caught people off guard, including Rogan. Ray J's comments during his post-fight interview added another layer of confusion.
"Adin Ross' thing that he does, he does Brand Risk, he has people fight, Ray J who did the p—- with Kim Kardashian, he just got knocked the f— out in an MMA fight," Rogan said in the recent episode of his podcast.
"Yeah (I saw his post-fight interview), yeah, they made some sort of a deal apparently, at least he was implying that the guy wasn't gonna punch him in the face and knock him out.
"They must have made some sort of a deal that they weren't gonna hurt each other and they were gonna do it for money. I wonder how much he paid him."
The situation took another twist when Ray J claimed after the fight that Supah Hot Fire had gone against their supposed agreement by knocking him out. The remarks raised questions about the legitimacy of Brand Risk as a promotion.
"Yeah (that's a way to get a visit from the FBI), it also seems like you're admitting to a crime which is maybe because he got a concussion… It seemed very real. He must've said 'I'm gonna put a bunch of money on me to win, you have me win' and he's now like, 'look how much money we just lost', they were gonna split the money… We'll see (what happens).
"It's crazy that he admitted it publicly, very strange… It was very real," he continued.
He must've said 'I'm gonna put a bunch of money on me to win, you have me win' and he's now like, 'look how much money we just lost', they were gonna split the money… We'll see (what happens).
Traditional sportsbooks didn't carry odds for Brand Risk 14, but fans found ways to place bets through various other platforms. The event drew interest despite not being part of any major fighting organisation.
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