John Wayne Parr has revealed all about going head-to-head with Joe Rogan.
In his esteemed career, the Australian cemented his status as one of the greatest Muay Thai fighters who has ever lived.
Renowned for his aggression and unrelenting will to win, the warrior amassed a massive fan base spanning across his homeland, into Thailand, and across the United States, with the world’s number one podcaster taking an interest in what he brought to the ring.
With the pair sharing a mutual respect, they both jumped at the opportunity to spar with one another.
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John Wayne Parr loved sparring Joe Rogan
Joe Rogan once fended off an entire street gang who threatened to rob him. So, it’s fair to say he knows how to look after himself.
However, in the presence of John Wayne Parr, he was a mere student, learning from a master of the art of eight limbs.
‘The Gunslinger’ has now opened up about his crazy trip to America to feature on the UFC commentator’s podcast, and how it resulted in the pair having a playful sparring session.
In an exclusive interview with Bloody Elbow, Parr explained: “I was very lucky to be on the podcast twice and once on the Fight Companion. I don’t know how it happened, but years ago, there was a hashtag of get John Wayne on Joe Rogan and that went for a few weeks.
“Then, all of a sudden, Joe Rogan replied, saying, ‘I’d love to get John Wayne on, I’m a big fan’. I sent him a DM, saying, ‘Hey, I’m John Wayne, is there any chance I can book in’? He said, ‘Yeah, for sure’.
“So, I went to the airport, turned my phone off, and flew to America. When I turned my phone on, there was a message from Joe, saying, ‘I know we have the podcast tomorrow, but we’re doing the Fight Companion tonight, do you want to come to the studio and do it with us’?
“So, I grabbed my bag, and went straight to the studio. After the Fight Companion, Joe goes, ‘That was cool, tomorrow morning, do you want to come to my house and do a training session, and then we’ll do the podcast in the afternoon, and we’ll have something to talk about’? I said, ‘Yes, I can do that for sure’.
“I got to his house, and I didn’t want to be intimidated by Joe’s superstardom, so I just treated it like a normal PT. It was so cool. For a whole hour, we went through techniques and theories of how to throw different things.
“At the end, I asked, ‘Is there any chance we can do a light round of sparring, just for fun, so I can say I sparred you’? He goes, ‘I’ve got a bit of a bulging disc, but I’m happy to move around’.
“We did three minutes, just fun, moving around and having a bit of a giggle. I said, ‘Do you mind if I put this on YouTube’? He goes, ‘Yeah, go for it’.
“So, I shared the sparring round, and the amount of comments was just ridiculous; everyone was just badmouthing Joe, saying how bad he was with the technique. I was pretty good at the time, so it’s not like it was Joe’s fault, plus Muay Thai is very different.
“So, the second time I did the podcast, ‘I said, Joe, I felt so bad, did you see the comments from when we sparred that time’? He goes, ‘I never look at the comments, if you do that, you’re crazy’. I said, ‘Thank goodness you didn’t because they were so bad’.
“People think that sparring is a fight, when it’s just two blokes having a little move around and a giggle. It’s very sad.”
John Wayne Parr has become a stand-up comedian
Fighting isn’t the only thing Parr and Rogan have in common, with the Thai boxer now transitioning to the world of comedy.
He laughed: “I moved a lot as a kid. I went to 11 different schools. So, every time I moved, I always found being the funny guy would save me from being beaten up by the bullies. No one wants to beat up the funny guy.
“My dad was funny too, and I always liked how people reacted when he would tell jokes. I was like, ‘One day, I wanna be like my dad’.
“This year, I decided to put on my white belt and actually have a go at it. I’ve done three nights so far, and they’ve been so much fun.
“If I can walk out in front of 100,000 people and go and fight a crazy Thai, walking out in front of 100 people and telling some jokes, the worst thing that can happen is that they don’t laugh. Whereas when you fight a Thai that’s trying to kill you, it’s a lot more painful. So, what can go wrong?”
