Dana White gives a fascinating insight into how he met Joe Rogan and convinced him to join the UFC

01/09/2024 15:46

In a moment akin to Sliding Doors, Dana White has opened up about how he realized Joe Rogan was the man he needed to commentate on the UFC.

The popular podcaster has become as synonymous with mixed martial arts as any of the fighters, but had the UFC CEO not uncovered him while running errands, he may never have become the phenom he is today.

Dana White reveals the incredible story of how Joe Rogan started commentating with the UFC

With his trademark, ‘Oh’ and witty one-liners, Joe Rogan has established himself as the voice of the UFC.

Over the years, the 57-year-old has sat right alongside the fans, adding to the spectacle of the best fights we’ve ever seen with his palpable enthusiasm and innate ability to enhance the drama.

When combat sports enthusiasts think of all the legendary match-ups of times gone by, they have Rogan to thank for adding a little cherry on top of an already delicious cake.

However, the many memories he’s given the MMA community may never have occurred had Dana White not stumbled across him.

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Despite Rogan having done some previous work as a backstage interviewer and knowing his name from Fear Factor, White was completely unaware of his involvement in MMA, until he discovered a video of him talking about the sport during an interview.

On The Flagrant Podcast, the businessman explained: “When you look at Rogan, he makes s**t loads of money. He’s got the biggest podcast in the world and all this s**t.

“But, back in the day, right after we bought the company, I had to go through the office. They had a room that was full of f***ing tapes. So, I had to go through every f***ing tape to make sure it wasn’t anything important.

“So, I pop in this tape, and it’s the Keenen Ivory Wayans Show, and they have Joe Rogan on. Keenen says to him, ‘You’re into this Ultimate Fighting stuff, huh?” And Rogan starts going off.

“The way that Joe talked and how passionate he was, I was like, ‘This is the f***ing guy that I need’. So, I reach out to Rogan. I said, ‘I would love you to come in and be one of the commentators’.

“Rogan’s attitude was, ‘So, wait a minute. You’re saying I come over there, sit in the best seats in the house, and watch the sport that I love for f***ing free. I’m in’.

“At the time, financially, we were getting f***ing murdered. Rogan did the first 12 or 13 shows for free.”

Joe Rogan reveals crazy moment from his time watching UFC

Throughout his long stint as an aficionado of mixed martial arts, Rogan has witnessed many a spectacular moment both inside the arena and while watching at home.

From Nate Diaz submitting Conor McGregor, to Anderson Silva rendering Forrest Griffin unconscious with one of the greatest sporting performances of all time, it’s fair to say the New Jersey native has seen it all.

However, there’s one bizarre turn of events that stands out from the pack.

During a recent episode of his podcast, Rogan revealed a ‘crazy’ moment that he still can’t believe occurred.

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