Joe Rogan recounted a time when he was in talks to have an MMA bout against Hollywood actor Wesley Snipes.
Snipes, renowned for his portrayal of Blade in the iconic movie franchise, played a character seeking revenge for his mother's death and aiming to eliminate vampires. While the films brought Snipes significant earnings, tax-related issues left him in debt.
To settle these debts, the idea of a fight with Rogan was explored. Negotiations commenced with Rogan, whose expertise lies in Jiu-Jitsu, Taekwondo, and Kickboxing. On the other hand, Snipes holds a 5th degree black belt in Shotokan Karate, a 2nd degree black belt in Hapkido, and practices Kung Fu, Capoeira, Eskrima, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
“I was supposed to fight Wesley Snipes. That was real. There was lawyers in negotiation. I was training twice a day for six months. That was f*****g hard. I was so tired all the time, and I only got a taste of what it’s like to train like an MMA fighter. I was training knowing that the fight was eventually going to take place, so I was building up a base. So, I was kickboxing every morning and then I was doing jiu-jitsu every night. I was doing it for six months,” Rogan said
Talks broke down and Snipes served 28 months in jail before being released on April 2nd, 2013. Although Snipes has had a successful career since then, Rogan felt he avoided the fight after becoming aware of the task ahead.
Joe Rogan details the time he almost fought Wesley Snipes https://t.co/7arsxDSVu2 pic.twitter.com/eVMc4lgCNv
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“I think because he knew I was going to kill him. I think in the beginning he thought that he would be able to stuff takedowns, and he would kick my a*s. Then he found out, no, I’m a taekwondo champion, and I’m a kickboxer. I’m way better at standing up than I am on the ground,” Rogan said