Dana White Reveals Joe Rogan’s ‘Smart and Funny’ Persona Landed Him the UFC Commentator Role

The UFC has grown exponentially over the past two decades. Several individuals have contributed to the growth of the UFC. However, on that list, a few stand out amongst the others. Joe Rogan is one such individual who has become synonymous with the UFC. He has contributed massively to its success, providing play-by-play commentary for over two decades now. While Rogan remains crucial to the UFC, How Rogan ended up working with the UFC is not something all fans might know.

Dana White recently joined 3-time Super Bowl-winning wide receiver Julian Edelman on his podcast. During the interview, Edelman asked White about Rogan‘s role in the UFC. The 54-year-old went on to share how he approached Rogan for the job. He said,

“So I popped in this tape and there was this talk show and they had Joe Rogan on there. And I knew Joe Rogan from fear factor. He was talking about how badass UFC fighters were and what they would really do to some of these Karate guys… I was like, this guy knows what he is talking about. He is smart, he’s funny, he’s articulate, so I reached out to Rogan. So we started talking, and I asked him if he would like to work for us and be a commentator.”

Rogan had been working for the UFC for a while before White and the Fertitta brothers acquired the company. However, in the podcast, Dana White stated that he did not know Rogan worked for the UFC before he took over the company.

Joe Rogan and his recent Spotify deal

For a few years now, Rogan’s podcast, ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’, has been the most popular in the United States by a huge margin. He signed an exclusive deal with Spotify in 2020, worth a reported $200 million.

The deal expired at the end of 2023. Spotify and Rogan agreed on an extension of the contract with a key difference this time around. Rogan’s podcast will no longer be exclusive to Spotify.

 

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However, Rogan is set to have made another $200 million on this deal. Rogan’s podcast undoubtedly serves as a marketing tool for the UFC in promoting its fights and events. Similarly, UFC fans also account for a major audience of Rogan’s podcast.