UFC President Dana White has some massive praise for color commentator Joe Rogan and his role in the growth of MMA.
Rogan made his first UFC appearance on Feb. 7, 1997. He served as a backstage interviewer and post-fight interviewer. Eventually, Rogan made his way to the booth and the rest is history.
Dana White Talks Joe Rogan’s Impact On MMA
Appearing as a guest on The Fight with Teddy Atlas, Dana White detailed just how crucial Joe Rogan has been in the development of MMA to the mainstream (via MMAJunkie.com).
“Another guy who deserves a ton of credit for helping build this sport during our era is Joe Rogan. The reality is that when we got into this, everybody understood standup fighting no matter what happened. Punching, kicking, elbows – we all get that. The big thing for us was when it goes to the ground, how may people are really going to understand what’s going on and what they’re seeing?
“Because if you’ve never done jiu-jitsu, you don’t know what the hell they’re doing. … Joe Rogan was, first of all, passionate about the sport, No. 1, (and) No. 2, so good at walking you through what was going on before it even started to happen. To have a guy like him behind the mic, he was very instrumental in helping build the sport.”
Rogan’s schedule with the UFC has been greatly reduced over the years as the promotion has added a slew of Fight Night events over time. Still, he remains a vital part of the broadcast when he does work a show. Rogan typically sticks with PPV events that are held in the United States.
This isn’t the first time Dana White has credited Rogan for MMA’s growth. Back in late 2018, he gave Rogan props for the UFC’s rapid success.
