Dana White has never been one to stay quiet when people come after those in his corner. In a conversation with David Senra, the UFC president made clear that Joe Rogan’s relationship with the organization runs far deeper than a commentary contract. He also revealed that, behind the scenes, influential people tried to pressure him into cutting ties with Rogan.
“I’ve had people call and say, whether it’s sponsors or whoever, ‘You got to do this to Rogan,'” White revealed.
His response, he said, was immediate.
“And I’m like, ‘Look, don’t ever call me. Who are you to call me and tell me who I’m going to fire or do whatever to?'”
White didn’t identify who made those calls, but the implication was clear. Sponsors and other powerful figures with financial influence over the UFC had attempted to push Rogan out. According to White, those efforts went nowhere.
That loyalty, he explained, goes back to the UFC’s earliest and most difficult years. After acquiring the struggling promotion in 2001, White spent countless mornings flying across the country and waking up before dawn to do local radio interviews, trying to convince people to pay attention to a sport that many media outlets wouldn’t even cover.
He quickly realized that most athletes struggled in those interviews, but Rogan stood out.
“The only two that were really good at doing radio were me and Joe Rogan,” White said. “The problem with me is nobody knew who I was.”
White recalled that the two regularly alternated events, waking up at three in the morning on the West Coast so they could appear live on East Coast radio shows during drive time. They repeated the same interviews across different markets, year after year, helping build awareness for a sport that was still working towards mainstream acceptance.
Long before Rogan became one of the biggest voices in podcasting, he was doing the unglamorous work of promoting the UFC simply because he believed in what they were building.
White also pointed out that Rogan wasn’t doing it for the money. In fact, he worked the first dozen UFC events without getting paid.
“Joe Rogan did the first 12 events for us for free,” White said.
For White, that history isn’t something he forgets. He has repeatedly clashed with sponsors and executives who have tried to influence personnel decisions or pressure him over political disagreements. His stance, he said, has always been the same: outside money doesn’t determine who he stands behind.
White also credited Rogan as one of the biggest reasons the UFC reached such a massive audience. During the conversation, Senra shared that he first discovered the UFC in 2016 because Rogan simply wouldn’t stop talking about it on his podcast. White said that didn’t surprise him at all.
“He has been a key, instrumental part of this company,” White said, “and for anybody, I don’t care how much money you have sponsored or whatever.”
