Cenk Uygur, the progressive talking head who hosts ‘The Young Turks’ internet show, says that he would ‘end’ Joe Rogan if the two were to fight as a feud heats up between the pair – but is he biting off more than he can chew?
Uygur has been a frequent critic of Rogan, particularly throughout the Covid-19 pandemic where the Rogan has used his incredibly popular podcast to espouse a host of alternative views regarding the potential of mandatory vaccinations and governmental overreach.
Rogan also recently indicated that he was taken a battery of different medications to overcome his recent Covid diagnosis, including ivermectin – an anti-parasite medication which has prompted fits from progressives for it being heralded as a miracle cure by some sections of the American right.
Rogan has also speculated that Joe Biden ‘faked’ getting the Covid-19 vaccination on live television.
And it certainly seems as if these might have been the straw which broke Uygur’s back, after he suggested in a Twitter conversation with one of Rogan’s army of fans that he would “end” Rogan should they ever get into a physical confrontation.
Deal. Easiest $1,000 I ever made. You think he’s going to assault me? Sure, whatever. That’s incredibly dumb. But also wouldn’t work. I’m much larger than Joe and I’ve fought my whole life. I’d end him. But grownups don’t do that. I’ll send you the PO Box to send check to later. https://t.co/vB2FeGgiKr
“I’ll make a 1000 dollar donation to your trash network or your charity of choice to see you call Rogan who is not only the most successful podcast in history but also a black belt in mixed martial arts, a loser to his face,” claimed the fan online.
Uygur was only too happy to retaliate.
“Deal. Easiest $1,000 I ever made,” he shot back.
“You think he’s going to assault me? Sure, whatever. That’s incredibly dumb. But also wouldn’t work. I’m much larger than Joe and I’ve fought my whole life. I’d end him. But grownups don’t do that. I’ll send you the PO Box to send check to later.“
Now, let’s examine these claims. As Uygur states, he is indeed “bigger” than Rogan but his one inch height difference (5ft 7 1/2in versus 5ft 8 1/2in) likely wouldn’t be of much concern to the UFC analyst.
Rogan isn’t, as his fan claims, a “black belt in mixed martial arts” as no such classification system exists in the sport – but that’s not to say that he doesn’t have a legitimate and extensive history within combat sports.
He is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under the tutelage of his friend (and equally contrarian podcaster) Eddie Bravo, who developed the infamous no-gi 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu system which was also adopted by top UFC lightweight contender Tony Ferguson.
But Rogan’s BJJ black belt is one of his more latter day accomplishments. His experience in the martial arts began at the age of 13 when he began studying Taekwondo and progressed to black belt level in just two years.
Before his 20th birthday, Rogan won the US Open Taekwondo Championship as a lightweight – and would go on to defeat the middleweight and heavyweight titleholders to achieve the rare Grand Championship honor.
Video footage even exists of Rogan teaching UFC legend Georges St-Pierre how to better perform a turning side kick – a technique perfected by Rogan after thousands of hours of martial arts training.
Rogan, 54, also boasts not insignificant kickboxing experience, as he has detailed one of his podcasts where he discusses his overall fighting credentials.
By contrast, Uygur’s claims that he would “end” Rogan don’t appear to be backed up by any of his own combat experience available online (although that’s not to say it doesn’t exist).
Rogan’s latter career is well-known. He moved into stand-up comedy and eventually earned a role in the sitcom ‘NewsRadio’ before transitioning to UFC commentary and developing his podcast empire.
But his public clash with Uygur isn’t the first time that Rogan has had beef with a public figure. More than a decade ago, talks were held for Rogan to fight Hollywood star Wesley Snipes in the UFC but the proposal fell apart when Snipes was imprisoned for tax evasion in 2010.
So while the 51-year-old Uygur talks a good game, Vegas oddsmakers would no doubt tilt any hypothetical fight between the two directly in Rogan’s favor – regardless of whatever Cenk Uygur might daydream about online.
Chess governing body FIDE has faced anger from female players after announcing a major new sponsorship deal for the women’s game with a company that specializes in breast implants.
FIDE issued a carefully-worded PR release towards the end last month trumpeting the deal with Establishment Labs – owner of the Motiva brand which offers breast enlargement services.
“The partnership is the first-ever corporate sponsorship agreement specifically aimed at supporting women’s chess events,” read the FIDE press release.
“The agreement will continue through 2022, a year that has been designated by FIDE as ‘The Year of Women in Chess’.”
However, the announcement soon came under fire from some female players who claimed the deal gave out the wrong impression.
“I wonder what’s the message FIDE wants to convey with this partnership,” one anonymous titled female player told popular chess website Lichess.
“We have a sport where men and women can compete on a level playing field which is also free from sexualized uniforms, and our ‘next great move’ is breast enlargement? That says a lot about FIDE officials’ view of women.”
For our article on FIDE choosing breast implants as a women's events sponsor, we spoke to women in the community. Most asked to speak anonymously fearing the consequences if their name were attached to negative commentary. Read the full article here: https://t.co/Dnz4PBPEXOpic.twitter.com/tCUhUMHtNj
Another female player speaking on condition of anonymity added:“I’ve already seen comments online from people saying that they hope prizes for women’s events will now include breast enlargement.
“I’ve seen jokes citing specific top players’ names as those who could be improved by it. Chess has struggled with sexism in the past, and this has done nothing to help prevent that. Where is FIDE punishing sexist comments, sexist attitudes?”
Another female titled player acknowledged that sponsorship was “hugely important for our game” but added that “FIDE should be more wise with their choice of sponsors, because it affects which message we are sending to the world.”
“I don’t think breast implants is a proper message for our game; chess is a mental game and we care more about our brains than the shape of our body.”
One comment stated: “Shouldn’t chess – a game reliant on brains rather than breasts – be distancing itself from that kind of reductive and misogynistic line of thinking?”
Another concluded a diatribe against the deal by simply branding it “gross.”
In its defense, FIDE told The Guardian that it was “not encouraging plastic surgery, but if an adult freely makes this choice, our organization endorses Motiva, a company that has demonstrated its strong commitment towards women.”
Some also welcomed the move, with women’s international master Sheila Barth Stanford saying: “We desperately need a sponsor. We play for less money than the men, which makes it more difficult to bet on chess. I hope it makes it easier for women to play professionally.”
Fellow international master Elisabeth Paehtz of Germany said: “The main thing is support for chess. For me personally, I am happy if we have any sponsor for women in chess, and as long as it’s not something connected to gender, racism, or drugs, or anything else like that, I would generally support that sponsor.”
Men still vastly outnumber women in the upper echelons of chess, with only 39 women being awarded the accolade of Grandmaster compared to around 1,300 players overall.
However, women’s chess has received a boost in recent years through the likes of smash-hit Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit as well as through popular female streamers such as Alexandra Botez.
The biggest name in the current game – Norwegian world champion Magnus Carlsen – admitted last year that: “Chess societies have not been very kind to women and girls over the years. Certainly there needs to be a bit of a change in culture.”
Jon Jones has again come under fire from MMA fans after he posted a photograph to social media of him kissing his long-term fiancee just days after his arrest for alleged domestic battery and tampering with a police vehicle.
Jones, the former longtime light heavyweight champion, has been no stranger to outside-of-the-cage infractions throughout his record-breaking UFC career, having fallen foul of both the law and the sport’s drug-testing authorities on several occasions throughout his ascent to the summit of the sport.
The 34-year-old was arrested in Las Vegas last week, just hours after he was inducted to the UFC Hall of Fame for his classic UFC 165 scrap with Alexander Gustafsson, after he allegedly pulled his fiancée’s hair and later head-butted a police car.
Police also detailed that Jones’ fiancée and partner of 17 years, Jessie Moses, had a bloody lip – with the mother of Jones’ three children telling cops that the UFC star was a “little” physical with her, but denied that he had struck her.
Las Vegas Police also reported seeing blood on the bed sheets inside their hotel room. Moses did not allow any photographs to be taken of her or consent to a voluntary interview about what had happened.
The police report also indicated that Jones cried when he was charged by police, with officers describing his behavior as “like an emotional rollercoaster“.
But as yet another wave of negative publicity surrounds one of the UFC’s greatest-ever fighters, Jones has taken to social media in a move which appears designed to overshadow the latest accusations against him – and fight fans aren’t buying the image of him kissing Moses along with the text (a quote from a John Legend song): “And I’ll stay with you. Oh I’ll stay with you through the ups and the downs.”
Jones has made a single statement since the arrest, indicating online that he will stop drinking alcohol – something he says that his brain “can’t handle” anymore – but some are seeing this as just the latest in a string of false contrition from the fighter who has been arrested on several occasions in the past, including a 2020 one for DWI and the negligent use of a firearm in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
He was also stripped of his world title in 2015 after being involved in a hit-and-run accident during which a pregnant woman’s arm was broken. Jones fled the scene but later surrendered to authorities.
Jones will learn more about what potential punishments he may face at his upcoming court date on October 26, but that reference to John Legend’s song ‘Stay With You’ is an interesting one – because with Jon Jones, there’s been a whole lot more downs than ups lately.
Khabib Nurmagomedov was welcomed to Manchester United’s Old Trafford home for their Premier League clash with Everton on Saturday, but the UFC icon’s pal Cristiano Ronaldo will only start the game on the bench.
Football-mad former UFC lightweight king Khabib is making the most of his promotional tour in the UK, taking the time to visit United’s famous stadium as they take on high-flying Everton.
A win for either team will see them move to the top of the table, at least temporarily before the rest of their rivals are in action across the weekend.
United welcomed Khabib to the Theatre of Dreams, sharing an image on their social media accounts of the Russian MMA megastar proudly posing with a United shirt with ‘Khabib 7’ on the back.
However, any hopes that Khabib had of watching United’s actual number 7 start the match were dashed when the teamsheet showed Ronaldo was only among the substitutes.
Many will still fancy the 36-year-old star to feature at some point, not least because of the instant impact he’s had since returning to the club in a shock summer move from Juventus.
Ronaldo has netted five goals in five games thus far, including a dramatic injury-time winner at Old Trafford in the Champions League fixture with Villarreal in midweek.
United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is mindful of resting Ronaldo for certain games despite the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s form.
“Wednesday was a big effort, big emotional and physical output so needed to freshen it up,”said the Norwegian, explaining his line-up.
“The start of this game is very important, we’ve got big players coming on too, we believe it’s a team that can take charge of the game.”
Khabib and Ronaldo are well-known pals, with the Dagestani phenom previously posing with the footballer during his Real Madrid days and even recently revealing that Ronaldo had given him an inside scoop on his return to United before it was announced in the summer.
After United posted their image of Khabib, 33, on social media, some fans joked they’d like to see the Russian submission specialist take on Solskjaer after the game, with the Norwegian under pressure to deliver silverware with his star-studded squad this season.
“Khabib vs Ole after FT. Who says no?” joked one Twitter user.
“Khabib about to go 1 on 1 with Ole because of this team selection,” said another, miffed at Ronaldo’s absence from the Starting XI.
The issue of trans athletes in sport has again hit the headlines after controversial weightlifter Laurel Hubbard was named as New Zealand’s ‘sportswoman of the year’ by one university – and some fans aren’t buying it.
The University of Otago bestowed the honor on trans athlete Hubbard, becoming the first such sports star to receive the award in its 113-year history and comes after Hubbard became the first openly-trans competitor to compete in a solo event at the Olympic Games in Tokyo this past summer.
However, despite Hubbard, 43, being unsuccessful in her Olympic bid, she has been hailed by the New Zealand university for her impact on sport – despite being outshined at the Olympics by compatriot Lisa Carrington who won three golds in Japan to become the country’s most successful Olympian in history.
Nonetheless Hubbard, who ignited a debate as to the fairness of having athletes who were born male competing against women, gratefully accepted the award and thanked Otago University for the nod.
“It is not possible for athletes to complete at the Olympic level without the encouragement and aroha of friends, family and supporters,” said Hubbard.
“This award belongs to everyone who has been part of my Olympic journey.”
Hubbard, who transitioned to female in 2012, was granted permission to compete in the Olympics thanks to a newly-implemented rule which allows trans women to take part so long as their testosterone levels are below a certain level. Hubbard had previously competed in weightlifting competitions as a male.
“I see the Olympic Games as a global celebration of our hopes, ideals and values and I would like to thank the IOC for its commitment to making sport inclusive and accessible,” Hubbard said in a statement after being granted permission to participate in the Olympics.
“I’m not here to change the world, I just want to be me and do what I do.”
However, not everyone sees it the same way. Hubbard’s participation in Tokyo was seen by some as a line in the sand when it comes to having athlete born biologically male in competition against naturally born women – but the issue once again raising its head in the wake of Hubbard’s recognition from the University of Otago.
This is Lisa Carrington. She is a New Zealand canoeist.
She won three gold medals at Tokyo 2020 and became NZ’s most successful Olympian ever. pic.twitter.com/lP4O8IztRt
“The University of Otago names Hubbard as sportswoman of the year,” read one reaction online. “I am sorry that – once again – women are being displaced. This is outrageous and it needs to stop.
“Is this a joke?” said another. “Even (satirical newspaper) The Babylon Bee would struggle for content this comically insane.“
“This is Lisa Carrington,” wrote a third of the country’s all-conquering canoeist. “She is a New Zealand canoeist. She won three gold medals at Tokyo 2020 and became NZ’s most successful Olympian ever.”
