Joe Rogan would leave the UFC under one condition: “If Dana [White] leaves, I’m gone”
Joe Rogan has been with the UFC for 25 years and has called some of the best fights in MMA history. The podcast host is a key pillar in the UFC but he could leave if Dana White exits the company someday.
Rogan made his first appearance at UFC 12 in 1997. Five years later, he made his commentary debut at UFC 37.5. Since his start, the 55-year-old has witnessed the growth of MMA and the UFC positioning themselves as the top-tier organization in the world.
During his podcast, Rogan admitted there’s a clause in his UFC contract that strictly states that if UFC president Dana White leaves, he can exit the company too.
“If Dana leaves, I’m gone,” Rogan said. “That’s in my contract. What he does is very different.”
Dana White and Rogan have worked alongside each other for the past two decades so it’s no surprise that the two close friends think highly of one another. They have both been a part of the good and bad times in the company’s history.
“We have a great relationship. Obviously, the UFC has grown up and blown since we started together and he has blown up and grown personally…but we couldn’t have a better relationship,” White told Jake Asman. “He does his thing and he kills it for us and I think he’s the best ever.” (H/T MMANYT).
Dana White Says Joe Rogan “Deserves A Ton of Credit” For Helping Build MMA
White believes Rogan has played a significant role in the evolution of MMA. He says the UFC commentator is very knowledgeable about the sport and has done a great job breaking down the ground game for fans over the years.
“The reality is that when we got into this, everybody understood stand up fighting…when it goes to the ground, how many people are really going to understand what’s going on and what they’re seeing,” White told Teddy Atlas. “If you’ve never done jiu-jitsu, you don’t know what the hell they’re doing. Joe Rogan was so passionate about the sport [and] so good at walking you through what was going on before it even started to happen.”
Joe Rogan is a key piece in the UFC. There’s no denying that Rogan, along with Dana White, has revolutionized MMA in one way or another. When Rogan decides to hang it up, there will be big shoes to fill in the operations and culture of the UFC.
