Joe Rogan ‘Told Dana White to Get Ben Askren’: Demetrious Johnson Reveals How Gears Were Moved Secretly to Send Him Out of the UFC

Demetrious Johnson, the former UFC champion, said the UFC color commentator Joe Rogan played a major role in his departure from the organization.

‘Mighty Mouse’ is regarded as one of the greatest fighters to ever grace the UFC octagon. His dominance in the flyweight division is astounding. From June 2012 through 2017, the American fighter won some incredible fights without suffering a single defeat.

Despite all of his accomplishments, the promotion didn’t perceive DJ as a pay-per-view star. He even had a lot of disagreements with UFC authorities. Later, ‘Mighty Mouse’ was sent to One Championship in exchange for Ben Askren in a historic MMA trade between the two companies.

While talking about the same topic with Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour, Johnson stated that the veteran commentator Joe Rogan was also a part of the narrative.

“Honestly, I think it was me… But I still don’t have the full story of that… I think I’ll probably release it when I’m ready to. Like, I know how it happened, but there are pieces where I still don’t know how it happened. So, I still need to find that out, I know Joe Rogan had something to do with it, too,” DJ said.

“I haven’t had the chance to speak to Joe Rogan. I heard something like he told telling Dana White like dude get Ben Askren… So I still need to hear his foresight on that, like why would he push that narrative?” DJ added. 

Demetrious Johnson faced backlash for his comments on Khabib Nurmagomedov

The former UFC champion made a few controversial comments during his appearance on the MMA Hour show, one of which included the undefeated fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov.

‘The Eagle’ retired from professional fighting in 2020 with a perfect record of 29-0 under his name. However, many believe he retired too early. ‘Mighty Mouse,’ who falls under the same bracket, told Helwani that Nurmagomedov would have lost the record if he stayed long.

However, his statements didn’t sit well with Nurmagomedov’s supporters and they lashed out at DJ.

ALSO READ: Khabib Nurmagomedov and All His Special Moments With His Father-Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov

‘The Eagle’ is inarguably one of the greatest of the sport who dominated the killer lightweight division during his reign. He was shaped by his father throughout his life to become the fighter he is.

Sadly, Nurmagomedov lost his father at the beginning of 2020. He opted not to continue playing the sport without his father, since he couldn’t fill the emptiness. The former UFC lightweight champion had a justification. But there will always be some doubters. However, his unblemished record and dominance inside the ring will endure forever.

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