A couple days after Cris “Cyborg” Justino threatened to kick Joe Rogan’s ass, the comedian turned UFC commentator has apologized for making a pretty shitty joke at the Brazillian fighter’s expense.
The burgeoning beef between Rogan and Cyborg, one of the most feared female fighters in mixed martial arts, goes back to a mid-November episode of the Rogan’s podcast. Rogan had UFC head Dana White and fellow comedian Tony Hinchcliffe on his show when they started talking about the idea of roasting MMA fighters. Here’s what they said next:
Joe Ragan, Dana White and some guy joke about @criscyborg having a dick…. pic.twitter.com/9CCPtICFTN
— ZombieProphet (@ZProphet_MMA) November 16, 2015
Cyborg is no stranger to jokes about her body, and she’s certainly been subjected to dick jokes before. But there’s something different about Rogan, an employee of the UFC, yukking it up with White, the promotion’s president, at her expense — especially when you consider that she’s not just signed with the UFC, but a serious contender despite the focus on Ronda Rousey and Holly Holm following their much-discussed November fight.
Cyborg responded to Rogan shortly after the podcast went online, calling his jokes “mean and hurtful.” A few days later, someone found her at the airport and asked her about beating up the 48-year-old Rogan. She said she’d beat his ass “Brazilian style.”
Now, in what we’re sure is a totally unrelated move, Rogan has apologized. In an interview Bloody Elbow, Rogan said, “I shouldn’t have done it, I shouldn’t have said it. I do feel bad about it, because I didn’t want to hurt her feelings.” Then he offered some excuses about being drunk.
If there’s one lesson to take away from this beef, it’s this: Don’t fuck with the Cyborg.
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