ESPN’s sports commentator, Stephen A Smith has responded to criticism from UFC commentator Joe Rogan following last weekend\u2019s Conor McGregor vs Donald Cerrone bout.<\/p>\n
During the UFC 246 main event on Saturday 18th December 2020, McGregor starched his opponent with some unorthodox shoulder strikes. He then followed up with a killer leg kick and strikes to seal the TKO victory over Cerrone in just 40 seconds of the first round. The rapid defeat didn’t go unnoticed by Smith who criticised ‘Cowboy’s’ performance:<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m quite disgusted,\u201d declared Smith<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cLet me be very, very clear: I\u2019m honored to be up here with you guys. I\u2019m a spectator watching the sport. I expected to see more than 40 seconds. I predicted McGregor was going to win this fight inside of two rounds. I thought he would take him out.<\/p>\n \u201cHere\u2019s the deal: 15 seconds in, Cowboy Cerrone was done. He got hit with those shoulders in the clinch, and he was done. It looked like he gave up. It was just an atrocious performance on his part.\u201d<\/p>\n Smith followed up on social media with a clip of him hitting pads. The video showing the commentator’s boxing technique did little more than bolster doubts from his MMA sceptics.<\/p>\n UFC sports personality Joe Rogan\u00a0sat down with guest<\/a> Josh Thomson and insulted his pad work, concluding that \u2018this guy should not be allowed to talk about fighting\u2019. Rogan said (transcipt via BJPenn.com<\/a>):<\/p>\n \u201cSomeone needs to explain to me what\u2019s happening here. It looks like he\u2019s punching a baby,\u201d Rogan said to Thomson as the pair watched the clip.<\/p>\n \u201cThis guy should not be allowed to talk about fighting.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou called a guy a quitter [who], first of all, had a broken orbital bone,\u201d Rogan continued to bash the sports presenter.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re saying he was a quitter? He got his face smashed. He got cracked by one of the biggest punches in the sport. He has the most wins in the [UFC], he has the most wins by finish, he has the most bonuses. I mean, come on. He has the most fights. You\u2019re calling that guy a quitter? He got cracked! That\u2019s what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n On Twitter, Smith responded to Rogan’s comments with the following video:<\/p>\n You're wrong on this one, @joerogan<\/a>. pic.twitter.com\/eU140zXlcW<\/a><\/p>\n — Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) January 26, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n