Dana White Once Revealed the Exact Pay Joe Rogan Got for First 12 UFC Shows

UFC color commentator Joe Rogan has been an iconic part of the promotion for a while now. The 55-year-old has been a part of the UFC for over two decades now. Rogan has often expressed his passion for MMA and is a strong follower of the sport. UFC President Dana White has also spoken about Rogan’s involvement in the sport and considers him an invaluable part of the organization.

In an interview, the UFC President spoke about the comedian’s passion for the sport. He said, “It’s a passion. He’s passionate about the sport and you can tell. You can tell he’s not just a talking head being paid to talk about MMA. He’s into it. He loves it.”

White also spoke about how Joe Rogan was a staunch fan of the sport, even before he started working with the UFC.

“What’s funny is when Joe Rogan was on Fear Factor, I saw him do an interview with the Ivory Keenan Wayans show. He was talking about martial arts and he started talking about the UFC. Ivory Keenan Wayans asked him about these different TV stars that do martial arts. He’s like, ‘the UFC fighters would whoop the sh*t out of these guys, it’s not even close.”

Dana White talked about how, after hearing Rogan’s interview, he decided to approach the Fear Factor host, and asked him to join the UFC.

“The way that he was talking about it, I was like, at this point I need a guy like that who has some celebrity and who isn’t afraid to speak his mind and is very educated about the sport. So I reached out to Rogan and Rogan’s like, ‘Oh f*ck yeah! I’m in.'”

The UFC President shared an interesting story regarding Rogan’s passion for the job. He mentioned that the JRE podcast host did not get paid for his work initially.

“You want to hear something crazy? You know how much Rogan loved it? He did the first 12 shows for free, he didn’t even get paid. He wanted to do it. And then, obviously, once we turned it around, he gets paid now.”

Joe Rogan’s UFC career as a commentator

Joe Rogan has been an iconic part of the UFC’s success. The 55-year-old has been working with the promotion for over two decades and has featured heavily in the sport’s most iconic moments.

The color commentator shares a desk with UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier and Jon Anik. Rogan has also featured as an integral part of the sport’s growth, as he brings in new fans through his social media posts and highly successful podcast.

READ MORE: Why is Joe Rogan So Important to the UFC?

The JRE podcast host often promotes UFC events on his podcast, and sometimes even hosts podcasts to commentate on them when he is not scheduled to appear. Along with that, Rogan also features multiple fighters on his podcast and gives them their deserved recognition.

Dana White has shown his appreciation for Rogan and holds the color commentator in high regard. What do you think of Joe Rogan’s UFC career? Do you think the sport would be as successful without him?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below

WATCH THIS STORY: 5 Fascinating Facts about Joe Rogan