Joe Rogan campaigning to get Jimmy Smith in UFC after Bellator ‘f—ked up’ and let him go

To the casual mixed martial arts (MMA) fan, former Bellator commentator Jimmy Smith is a “Joe Rogan clone,” probably because he shaves his head, knows how to grapple, and served in the same capacity as his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) counterpart.

In reality, Smith is one of the sharpest minds in combat sports, which is why Rogan is lobbying UFC to scoop up the unemployed mouthpiece, who parted ways with Scott Coker and Co. over the holiday break.

“I tried to get Jimmy Smith hired by the UFC four years ago,” Rogan said on his official podcast (via MMA Fighting). “I was like, ‘Dude, you want better people, you want more people? Hire that fucking guy. He knows what he’s doing, he’s excited, and he loves the sport. I was telling him you’re a great guy, he’s genuine, he’s a real fan and he’s fucking good at it. Go get him.’”

The timing wasn’t right when Rogan first stated his case, according to Smith.

“You fucked up, Bellator,” Rogan continued. “I’ve been telling everybody that Jimmy Smith’s the best out there and you let him go. That’s a huge error on their part. I would be thrilled if somehow or another they were able to work it out where Jimmy Smith was at the UFC. That would be what I would like to see.”

He may not see it for very long, if this comes to pass.

Sending Smith to the broadcast booth would be a hilarious turn of events, considering Bellator MMA recently added longtime UFC commentator Mike Goldberg to its announce table (more on that here).

While there is no doubt a place for Smith somewhere in UFC, it remains to be seen if the promotion wants to add a veteran name so closely associated with its stateside competition.

Time will tell.