Actor Wesley Snipes and commentator/podcast host Joe Rogan are both strong personalities. One might wonder what would happen if the two ever sat down for a discussion. Well, the two of them almost came face to face for an absurd reason and no, it was not just for a mere discussion.
After getting into trouble for tax evasion, Wesley Snipes was ordered to pay millions of dollars to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for willfully failing to file about $15 million worth of federal income tax returns, as per The Guardian. On top of that, he was ordered time in jail. In a desperate attempt to make some money, Wesley Snipes initiated a UFC fight challenging Joe Rogan. Of course, Joe Rogan was confident he would smoke Wesley Snipes.
Wesley Snipes’ Challenge to Joe Rogan
A quick recap: Wesley Snipes was sentenced to three years in prison and had to pay a fine worth $9.5 million to the IRS after committing tax evasion. In order to pay off his debts, Snipes decided that challenging Joe Rogan to a fight would be the best solution to make some quick money. It all made the perfect sense as Snipes and Rogan had verbally clashed with each other before.
However, Rogan wasn’t Snipes’ first choice. His first choice was marital art legend, Jean-Claude Van Damme. But former UFC official, Campbell McLaren, was against the idea and suggested Rogan instead. Snipes agreed and the team reached out to the podcast host.
Talking about the fight that never happened, Rogan stated on his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience Fight Companion,
“He’s [McLaren] like, ‘Nobody’s gonna pay to see you and Jean-Claude Van Damme fight’. You have to fight someone who was ‘current.’ So he said, ‘Would you fight Joe Rogan? And he said, ‘Yup, let’s do it.’ So they came to me, and I went, ‘How much money?’ And then they started talking, then I said, ‘OK, let’s see what happens.’”
While Snipes and Rogan did not end up battling it out, the comedian was absolutely positive that he would have destroyed Snipes in the ring thanks to his previous experience and knowledge in jiu-jitsu.
“I just didn’t think that anybody who didn’t know any jiu-jitsu could learn it quick. I was already a brown belt by then, and I just knew what happened when a brown belt fights a white belt..If I get a hold of someone who doesn’t know jiu-jitsu, I’m pretty sure I’m choking the f*ck out of them…
…He’s never wrestled; he never had a competitive martial arts match, whether it’s a kickboxing fight or karate fight. I was like, ‘I’m gonna choke the f*ck out of this guy. I’m gonna get a hold of him, and I’m gonna squeeze the s*it out of him, and they’re gonna give me a lot of money, and he’s probably not even gonna get hurt.’ That’s what I thought.”
Well, we’ll never know if Rogan would have been able to deliver on his words or not since the challenge was pulled back. Who do you think would have emerged victorious in this battle?
Wesley Snipes Talks about Life in and After Prison
Snipes had been leading an impressive career before he was sent off to serve time. By the time he came out, there was a strong chance the actor would have to face the repercussions of his actions in Hollywood, too. But according to him, nothing of the sort happened as he was still being offered great roles.
Talking to The Guardian about how jail time affected his career, Snipes stated,
“You’ll have to get that perspective from those in the business who were gatekeepers. As far as the streets were concerned, it didn’t change their appreciation for my work and my artistry, one bit. Not one bit…I’ve been offered some great roles.”
As for what he learned from his time in prison, which he prefers to call “camp,” the actor stated,
“The biggest thing I got from it was learning the value of time and how we often squander it…I understand that very clearly now, having been away from my family and loved ones two and a half years.”
Snipes also stated that he came out a better person than he was 2.5 years ago. His purpose in life became clearer thanks to the time in prison and he considers it a win in his book.
Source: Joe Rogan Experience Fight Companion
