Joe Rogan has revealed the only way he’ll leave the UFC in the near future is if Dana White retires – which would trigger a bombshell exit clause in his contract.
The American podcaster and comedian has spent over two decades as a UFC commentator, while also enjoying a brief stint as a backstage and post-fight interviewer before White’s arrival as president in 2001.
After being tempted back as a color commentator in 2002 – and initially agreeing to work in exchange for free tickets – Rogan has gone on to become a staple of the MMA promotion as well as an influential figure in politics and popular culture.
But with his 58th birthday coming up in August, does he have a UFC exit plan in mind? Only the sudden retirement of good friend Dana would see him quit anytime soon.
‘I don’t think about retiring. If Dana White quits, I might quit. But that’s it,’ he told UFC fighter Ilia Topuria on the latest episode of his Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
‘It’s actually in my contract. If he leaves, I leave. So in my contract if he leaves I don’t have to stay.
Joe Rogan has revealed the only way he’ll leave the UFC anytime soon is if Dana White retires
Rogan has formed a close relationship with White in his 23 years as a UFC commentator
‘I wouldn’t be doing it if it wasn’t for him. Yeah, he’s my friend. He talked me into doing it.’
Rogan and White have formed a close relationship over the past 23 years, with the UFC chief recently explaining how he threatened to resign when his beloved commentator landed himself in hot water over controversial comments he made about Covid-19 in 2020.
‘Anybody who is with me, has been with me, knows [that] when you’re with me, you’re with me. It’s a two-way street. It’s not a one-way street. I’m not one of these guys that is gonna roll over,’ White said last year.
‘It’s like going through Covid, I wasn’t laying any of these people [off], some of these people have been with me for 20 years, we’re going to lay them off? This motherf***** will burn, burn before I do that to my people.
‘I can’t say what’s gonna happen when I leave, but when I’m here, the people who are with me and have been with me they know exactly what’s up, and Joe knows what’s up. It’s a two-way street.
‘Joe Rogan has been very loyal to me, and I am very loyal to Joe Rogan.’
