A conversation that intrigues UFC fans often is about the contribution of a fighter to help the sport grow. Fighters like Jon Jones, Conor McGregor, GSP have all made sacrifices for the UFC to place it where it stands today. But there is another name apart from the fighters whose contributions have been equally important, if not more. Enter Joe Rogan—the UFC’s oldest color commentator and analyst who has helped the sport of MMA grow as much as any other superstar in the game.

But Rogan’s contributions to the UFC go far beyond his desk job as the sport’s commentator. He oozes passion about the sport in his podcast The Joe Rogan Experience (JRE), which once started out from humble origins featuring a bunch of dudes who like fighting, having a good time—to the podcasting behemoth it has become today. And the extent of its influence can be seen across many social, and now, political spheres, adding more scrutiny to the podcast and what the host talks about. Despite being worth $250 million now, the podcaster never made a dime off of the unofficial promotional work he did for the UFC on JRE.

In his recent interview with Jake Shields, on his Fight Back Podcast, former UFC veteran and Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen reflected on the part Rogan has played in the rise of the UFC. According to Chael, it also becomes one’s responsibility to be extra careful with the information they are putting out, especially when they are as big a name as Rogan. Chael also acknowledges the responsibility with which Rogan uses his platform. 

In the discussion, Shield discusses with Sonnen, “As he got so big he had to be more careful. He was just there messing around, joking with his friends and as you get bigger you realize, ‘Oh, I got to be more careful.’ He is massive now. I don’t know about the numbers but multi-million, I think a lot of episodes get.”

To which Sonnen had to say,  “And no one forced him to do that though. No one stopped him from being the entertainer and start being more accurate. He just saw the responsibility that he had. It’s probably the thing I respect him about the most—is how he saw people coming here and, ‘They’re getting their information from me, I need to make sure its accurate information.’ Thats a big deal when somebody is not forcing you, or paying you or overseeing you like a federal state commission. He just did it on his own. He deserves some credit for that.”

Not just Sonnen, but the UFC head honcho Dana White has backed Joe Rogan as one of the most important cogs in the machine we call mixed martial arts. What did he say? Let’s find out from the company boss himself.

Dana White on Joe Rogan and his contribution to the sport

There is no secret that Joe Rogan and Dana White are like brothers-in-arms when it comes to their journey in the UFC together. Dana White firmly believes that getting Rogan onboard was one of the best decisions he has ever made while hiring an employee for the company, including all the fighters. In his interview with 3 times Super Bowl champ and pro football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe, Dana revealed that Rogan joined UFC not for the money, but purely for his passion for martial arts.

Dana explained how in the early days of UFC, a specialist who understood different forms of martial arts was needed to explain it to the world. “The arbit thing was Jiu-Jitsu,” he recalls, “because, how are you gonna educate people about the Jiu-Jitsu?”. “One of the key components was Joe Rogan.” White added. “Joe Rogan had this ability to walk you through what’s happening.” 

Recalling the early times, Dana revealed that Rogan even did his first twelve UFC events for free to help the promotion out. And that was only out of his love for the sport. Rogan’s contribution to MMA is a small part of what the man does on daily basis. His podcasts are a way of staying abreast with all things ‘knowledge’. A man with a following like Joe’s is forever burdened by responsibilities to stay truthful and unbiased. What is your favorite Joe Rogan moment? Let us know in the comments