Joe Rogan reveals he passed up podcast with Kamala Harris to watch UFC 308

Joe Rogan couldn't bear to miss one of last year's most highly-anticipated UFC fights, even if it meant missing out on part of U.S. history
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

From an MMA standpoint, UFC commentator Joe Rogan has his priorities straight.

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Rogan, a member of the UFC broadcast team as a color commentator since UFC 37.5 in 2002, has scaled back his broadcast work since Mike Goldberg's departure at the end of 2016. At present, the long-time martial arts enthusiast only covers domestic pay-per-view events each year and is no longer assigned to every event.

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UFC president Dana White with Joe Rogan during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena.
UFC president Dana White with Joe Rogan during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

It is a personal preference for Rogan, who has a plethora of other business ventures outside of MMA but makes time to react to fights he isn't present for (i.e., UFC 312 this Saturday) in the form of a "JRE Fight Companion" podcast, allowing the stand-up commedian to discuss the action without editorial oversight.

UFC announcer Joe Rogan during the ceremonial weigh-ins for UFC 300 at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
UFC announcer Joe Rogan during the ceremonial weigh-ins for UFC 300 at MGM Grand Garden Arena. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Rogan, whose guests have ranged from U.S. President Donald Trump to comedian Joey Diaz, was highly pursuing a would-be global interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris in the weeks leading up to last year's presidential election.

Missed Opportunity To Interview Harris

Except there was a small, yet important, issue and personal obligation: last October's UFC 308 pay-per-view event from Abu Dhabi fell in the same window Harris' team was available to speak with Rogan.

"They wanted to do it Saturday, the day after Trump's [interview]," Rogan recalled Harris' team saying. "The reason why [I could not accomodate her] was because I had a podcast that was already scheduled, a live UFC podcast."

Rogan went onto explain his position further, adding he did all he could to accommodate Harris' availability but made it clear to them he couldn't interview her while the fights were in progress.

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Aljamain Sterling talks with Joe Rogan during weigh-ins for UFC 273 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Aljamain Sterling talks with Joe Rogan during weigh-ins for UFC 273 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Stadium. / David Yeazell-Imagn Images

Neither reached an agreement, and weeks later Harris was no longer running against Trump in her eventual loss.

As for Rogan, he clarified no hard feelings toward her and wish it had worked out. Nevertheless, it didn't.

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Zain Bando
ZAIN BANDO

Zain Bando is a writer for MMA Knockout, part of the Sports Illustrated/Minute Media umbrella. He has covered combat sports since 2019 for notable outlets BJPenn.com and FanSided MMA. He also co-hosts a podcast called "The MMA Outsiders," part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network, which airs Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT. A Chicago suburban native, Bando has been enthralled with MMA since 2006 and has been fortunate to attend some of the most high-profile events in the sport's history, both as a fan and media member, including UFC 264, Bellator 297 and Kayla Harrison's PFL MMA debut. He is excited to take the next step in his combat sports writing journey and looks forward to continuing his following of the fight game for years to come. Bando can be reached via email at zainbando99@gmail.com or by social media @zainbando99