UFC commentator Joe Rogan isn’t sure what to make of the recent boxing match between rival YouTube stars Logan Paul and KSI — a massive financial success broadcast on the streaming service DAZN.
Rogan shared his thoughts on this bizarre spectacle on the Joe Rogan Experience, unpacking it all with guest Ari Shaffir.
“It was the headline of an event at the Staples Center, live streaming on DAZN,” Rogan explained to Shaffir. “I bet a lot of people watched it too.”
Rogan was then given a sense of how many viewers tuned in for Paul and KSI’s fight, which was a rematch of a 2018 bout that ended in a draw.
“That’s a lot for a streaming service,” Rogan said of the viewership for the fight. “I didn’t know you could get that many for a streaming service. The thing is so many people have these streaming services now.”
While neither Paul nor KSI had much in the way of boxing experience, the undercard of their fight did feature a world class boxer in Billy Joe Saunders. Rogan believes Saunders position on this card — strange as it was — was probably a good thing for him.
“It was the headliner of a card with a Billy Joe Saunders fight,” Rogan said. “Billy Joe Saunders is one of the best fighters in the world. He’s an elite fighter. World champion. He defended his title on the undercard of two YouTube guys fighting [laughs].”
“For him, I’m sure he’s just like ‘I’m getting paid!’” Rogan added. “It’s good for him, so people can see what a killer he is.”
“People didn’t know who he is — you didn’t know who he is. Now you do. It’s like it’s good. He won by knockout. It was a good showcase for him.”
At the end of the day, Joe Rogan seemed to have a difficult time grading the whole Logan Paul vs. KSI spectacle. While he claimed there was “no art” in their fight itself, he acknowledged that the whole package did have some merit.
“Dude they’re two YouTubers fighting, there’s no art,” he said. “There’s some art to it. It’s a creation, there’s some drama, a lot of shit’s going down.”
This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 11/29/2019.