UFC CEO Dana White Squashes Joe Rogan's Opinion of UFC Freedom 250 At White House

UFC CEO Dana White and commentator Joe Rogan have no bad blood, despite recent comments from Rogan suggesting the entire concept of an outdoor event from the South Lawn at the White House is a bad idea.

Although Rogan will be part of a three-man booth next Sunday, he didn't hold back when discussing the event itself.

“Yeah, I’ll be there, but I’m not thrilled about it. It doesn’t seem like a wise idea,” Rogan said on The Joe Rogan Experience. “It’s kind of a gimmick.”

Instead of putting Rogan on blast, White respected his opinion but clarified that Rogan used an incorrect term to describe what the event actually means.

"I mean, what does a gimmick mean?" White asked in an interview with Forbes. "It’s a real fight, with real stakes."

Dana White Responds To Joe Rogan's "Gimmick" Comments

To an extent, White isn't wrong. There are two title fights on the card, which feature an American challenger (Justin Gaethje) in the main event against UFC Lightweight Champion Ilia Topuria. The co-main event features former two-division champion Alex Pereira opposite Cyril Gane for the interim heavyweight title.

But, it's everything around the event Rogan is not thrilled about. From politics to the weather, it certainly is unusual compared to an in-house UFC event from an arena.

But, barring anything catastrophic, the event will go on as planned.

"I don't call him and say, 'What are you doing? What are you talking about, bugs?' I'm talking about bugs, too," White said. "These are all real things that come into play that night of the fight."

In a nutshell, their relationship is still status quo. The event remains unchanged, and so do the risks that come along with it.

"When you talk about a gimmick, there's absolutely nothing gimmicky about this event," White said. "We're celebrating 250 years of America, we're gonna have all the representatives of the military there, every fight on that card means something with who wins or loses that night, and you know, like the most historical sporting event in American history. Far from a gimmick.

When Is UFC Freedom 250?

Empty UFC Octagon — Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

The event features a seven-fight card on Paramount+, which is scheduled to get underway at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT next Sunday. It has a slight old-school feel, especially considering that a traditional card format has been significantly reduced to resemble a boxing event.

Therefore, every fight has its own narrative. Every fight is arguably a can't-miss, and it's only a week away.

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