On episode #2312 of “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, actor Jeremy Renner joined Joe Rogan. At one point in the conversation, they discussed getting bullied in the past.
Rogan shared that being bullied encouraged him to train in mixed martial arts and expressed that it turned out to be the best decision of his life.
Joe Rogan Turned to Martial Arts After Getting Bullied
During the conversation, Rogan shared that back in the day, he didn’t have many friends and used to get bullied — which ultimately led him to pursue MMA.
“It also felt like I got picked on a lot too, which is what drove me into martial arts. I was like, I hate being scared of people. It just drove me nuts,” Rogan said. “I didn’t have friends, so like a group of guys would f**k with me and I didn’t know what to do.”
Rogan emphasized that he wanted to change the situation around him, so he became dedicated to MMA. The discipline not only helped him defend himself but also reshaped his self-image, teaching him that he wasn’t a loser — he just needed to find his path.
“So I was like, okay, I got to fix this. And so I became obsessed with martial arts. Once I started doing that, it was like the first thing I ever did where I was like, ‘Hey, I don’t think I’m a loser. I just think I never figured out how to get good at something.’”
The UFC commentator revealed that training in MMA shifted his mindset from feeling like a loser to becoming obsessed with winning.
“And now that I’m really good at this one thing, I’m like the opposite of a loser. And then I became obsessed with winning, you know? That was like my whole life — until I was like, I don’t think I want to do this anymore.”
The podcaster expressed his gratitude for the adversity he faced earlier in life, crediting those challenges for pushing him out of his comfort zone. He reflected that without being bullied, he might never have discovered his potential or pursued things that once scared him.
“Then I transitioned to other things. But that period of time wouldn’t have happened if I lived in a comfortable environment where I wasn’t messed with, where I didn’t get bullied. I wouldn’t have had that desire to do something that was completely terrifying.”
Rogan practiced Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Carlson Gracie at his school in California. The podcaster now holds a black belt in the discipline.