UFC's Joe Rogan on 'ridiculous' NSAC ban: Wanderlei Silva not beating kids with sticks or punching women in elevators

Why is Wanderlei Silva being treated like Ray Rice or Adrian Peterson?

That's what Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) color commentator Joe Rogan wanted to know on his official podcast, slamming Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) for its "unreasonable" punishment for "The Axe Murderer" at this week's disciplinary hearing.

Transcribed by MMA Fighting:

"I just think the penalty is way over the top. It's one thing if you want to tell the guy he's suspended for a year. Pretend as if you caught him for using steroids. If he got caught and it was his first time being caught it would be a nine month suspension. Instead of doing that they prohibit him from fighting for a fucking life. A whole life. He can't be 80 and apply for a license for running from one drug test. I think that's ridiculous. You can't do it like that. You're sending a message that you have ultimate power and you're unreasonable. That's not reasonable. It's one thing if they said, 'Hey, we're going to suspend you for two years' like Chael Sonnen. Two years is big, but to say 'You can never fight again, ever, because you ran [from] a test.' He fucked up. He definitely fucked up. That's so unprecedented. It's so crazy. Even if they said they were going to suspend him for two years, man, that's harsh as shit. There's a big difference between a guy running from a drug test and a guy beating the fuck out of his kid with a stick or a guy knocking his girlfriend out in an elevator. Those are different things. That's like some evil shit."

Rogan, of course, is referring to the recent NFL woes that grabbed national headlines.

Silva failed to appear at the commission's most recent hearing back on Tuesday (Sept. 23, 2014) and was fined $70,000 for dodging a drug test last May. In addition, the former PRIDE FC champion -- who angrily retired just last week (see why here) -- was banned from mixed martial arts (MMA) for life. Seems a bit excessive, all things considered, but nothing lasts forever.

We'll see how this all plays out when the smoke screen finally clears.