UFC, don’t tolerate vile Rogan remarks

UFC color commentator Joe Rogan was in town over the weekend and let's hope his time with UFC president Dana White included a chat about cleaning up his act.

Or cleaning out his desk.

Rogan, who parlayed his standup comedian talents into hosting NBC's "Fear Factor" and the UFC gig, is being assailed by mixed martial arts media for his obscene comments directed at a female reporter.

Rogan made the vile comments last week while defending former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, who sexually harassed female reporter Karyn Bryant of "MMA Heat" during an interview after UFC 130 on May 28 in Las Vegas.

When another female reporter, Maggie Hendricks of Yahoo! Sports, all but called for a boycott of Jackson, Rogan -- who recently used a homophobic slur while referring to an MMA blogger -- added fuel to the fire by referring to Hendricks with an obscenity that should have had him fired, fined or suspended.

He would have and should have been gone by now had he been working for the NFL, NBA or Major League Baseball.

Jackson ignited the debate after UFC 130 when he told Bryant during an interview that she was making him "horny" and put his head toward her chest and made "motorboating" sounds.

Hendricks cited examples of Jackson's bad behavior against MMA reporters and added, "he thinks it's funny to assault the people who cover his fights, who write about his movie, who give him a stage to show off the 'Rampage' persona.

"Let's stop doing that," she continued. "Take away his stage. Don't ask him questions in press conferences, don't cover his every move, don't give him another chance to assault reporters."

Hendricks' Yahoo! Sports colleague, Kevin Iole, noted that Zuffa, the company that owns both the UFC and Strikeforce, held a "Fighter Summit" here last month for more than 300 fighters "to lecture them on the evils of steroids and drugs, to counsel them on financial matters and gambling, and to help them cope with a whole series of life issues they may face as newly minted celebrities."

"Nothing, though, was on the agenda about sexual harassment," he wrote, "but if White and UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta are serious about making the UFC a mainstream outfit, it's going to need to be."

White and Rogan were spotted Saturday at the Palms .

SIGHTINGS

About 20 Miss USA contestants, whooping it up in the Palms Place pool on Sunday. They're in town for two weeks leading up to the June 19 Miss USA Pageant at Planet Hollywood Resort. The public is invited to their welcome ceremony at 6 p.m. tonight in front of Planet Hollywood. ... Playboy cover model and "Dancing with the Stars" performer Karina Smirnoff, hosting at Tao Beach and Tao (The Venetian) on Saturday. Sharing her cabana: fellow "Dancing with the Stars" dancers Peta Murgatroyd and Damian Whitewood and former NFL standout Michael Strahan and Nicole Murphy. ... At Lavo (Palazzo) on Friday: Comedian Joan Rivers, Smirnoff, and Strahan and Murphy.

THE PUNCH LINE

"Scratch up the court with your high heels." -- From David Letterman's Top Ten Other Things That Will Get You Suspended from the NBA

Norm Clarke can be reached at (702) 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com. Follow Norm on Twitter @Norm_Clarke.