Joe Rogan blames matchmakers for ‘crazy bad fight’ between MVP, Sam Patterson at UFC London

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 21: (L-R) Michael Page of England punches Sam Patterson of England in a welterweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at The O2 on March 21, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Joe Rogan blames possibly the worst fight of 2026 on the UFC matchmakers. On Saturday night, Michael “Venom” Page eked out a decision win over Sam Patterson at UFC London, in one of the worst fights of the year.

For 15 minutes, Page and Patterson, former training partners, tepidly engaged one another, landing a combined 39 significant strikes. The fight immediately drew criticism from nearly everyone with eyeballs, but Rogan thinks the blame should perhaps be focused not on the fighters, but on the men who put this bout together. “It’s interesting that they didn’t think of this when they booked this fight,” Rogan said on his Fight Companion podcast during the second round.

“They didn’t think, ‘These guys are training partners, this might be a stinker. ’ Maybe it’s like, you can’t get anybody to fight Venom Page in London? That might be a problem, too.

It might have been [that] a bunch of dudes said no, and Patterson was like, let’s go. ” While Page and Patterson are not full-time training partners, the two do have a lot of experience with one another, as Page brought Patterson into his camp to help him prepare for pass opponents. Despite their familiarity, both men opted to accept the fight, though in hindsight, maybe that wasn’t for the best, because as the fight dragged on, Rogan could barely contain his disdain.