Joe Rogan once demanded action be taken after UFC Nashville fighter was permanently damaged by opponent’s dirty move

There was once outcry over a UFC Nashville fighter’s victory, and color commentator Joe Rogan was among the most vocal about it.

The Octagon is back in ‘Magic City’ for a UFC Fight Night at Bridgestone Arena on July 12, marking the promotion’s one stop-off en route to Louisiana for its next pay-per-view.

Heavyweight powerhouses Derrick Lewis and Tallison Teixeira are tasked with sending the UFC into another PPV fight week on the back of a memorable night, as the latter looks to stop the all-time UFC knockout leader from extending his record.

Joining the likes of Stephen Thompson and Calvin Kattar as notable veterans on the undercard is Australian welterweight Jake Matthews. ‘Celtic Kid’ has recorded a number of impressive wins on MMA’s biggest stage, but he is also known as the victim of one of the dirtiest moves ever seen inside the Octagon.

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Joe Rogan was furious after Li Jingliang gouged Jake Matthews’ eyesIn February 2018, Matthews competed in front of his home fans in Perth at UFC 221, which was headlined by Yoel Romero’s brutal knockout against Luke Rockhold.

The 34-year-old faced and defeated Li Jingliang, who has since become a fan favorite. That would have been unlikely seven years ago, however, after his actions against Matthews.

In round two, the Aussie locked in a tight guillotine choke. ‘The Leech’ combatted the move by egregiously gouging the eyes of Matthews, a move that somehow only resulted in a warning from the referee.

The incident caused fury in the MMA community, and longtime color commentator Joe Rogan gave his scathing assessment during an episode of his JRE MMA Show.

“I thought it was f—ing bulls–t,” Rogan said. “You can’t let a guy get away with that, or he’s going to do it again. … You don’t do it that way. You tap. It’s straight up cheating; it’s not just shady. It’s cheating.

“They should tell him, ‘If this ever happens again, if you ever think you’re going to do this again, we’re going to kick you out of the league.’ You can’t do that. You can’t gouge someone’s eye when they’re choking you.

“It felt like the fingers were in long enough for him to know the fingers were in there,” Rogan added. “The referee f—ed up. The UFC should do something. Someone should do something.

“You’ve got to look at that and go, ‘Hey man, you can’t ever do this again. And we have to fine you. You should be suspended, and if you ever do this again, you’re out.’ You can’t gouge someone’s eyes. They’ll lose their vision.”

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Jake Matthews was permanently damaged by Li Jingliang’s dirty moveUnfortunately, Jingliang’s cheating against Matthews was not something the Australian fighter could simply forget.

The 30-year-old later revealed he had suffered permanent eye damage as a result of the UFC 221 gouge.

“I’m sure you all remember that time I got eye-gouged in the fight. Well, this is the aftermath of that,” Matthews said while displaying new glasses in a video on Instagram.

“Just a quick message to the young blood getting into the sport, this sport requires 100 percent commitment and most of the time doesn’t give much back, and can take a toll on your body. So just understand that.

“I still love it. I’m still gonna keep fighting,” Matthews added. “To Jingliang, I love ya, but (raises middle finger).”

That hasn’t stopped Matthews from entering the Octagon, and he’ll now look to make it three consecutive wins when he shares the cage with Chidi Njokuani at UFC Nashville.