Dana White explains why Joe Rogan deserves 'ton of respect' for building the sport of MMA
UFC president Dana White recently explained why Joe Rogan was an integral part of building mixed martial arts into the mainstream attraction that it is today.
During a recent episode of The Fight with Teddy Atlas, the UFC boss talked about the most transformative figures in the early days of MMA. White mentioned the Gracie family for introducing Brazilian jiu-jitsu to the general public. He then added that Rogan deserves credit too for masterfully explaining the intricacies of the ground game.
"Another guy who deserves a ton of credit for helping build this sport during our era is Joe Rogan," White told Atlas. "You know, because the reality is that when we got into this, everybody understood stand-up fighting no matter what happened. Punching, kicking, elbows – we all get that. The big thing for us was when it goes to the ground. How may people are really going to understand what's going on and what they were seeing? Because if you've never done jiu-jitsu, you don't know what the hell they're doing."
The UFC head honcho continued:
"Joe Rogan was, first of all, passionate about the sport, number one. Number two, so good at walking you through what was going on before it even started to happen. To have a guy like him behind the mic, he was very instrumental in helping build the sport."
Dana White talks about Joe Rogan's contribution to MMA:
Dana White sought help from Joe Rogan
Dana White went to Joe Rogan for advice when he caught COVID-19 earlier this month. In an appearance on The Jim Rome Podcast White mentioned how he and his entire family tested positive for COVID-19 after gathering for Thanksgiving dinner. White was quick to reach out to Rogan for advice.
Dana White called Joe Rogan for advice after contracting COVID-19 trib.al/KDidC4S https://t.co/YDhoSOqwYP
Rogan, of course, is a controversial figure in the COVID-19 era as he has publicly admitted to resorting to unconventional treatment methods for the disease. However, according to White, Rogan's suggestions proved to be useful as all the symptoms he experienced quickly faded. Dana White said:
"I literally got out of the steam and got on my phone and called Joe Rogan. I get I get up, 9 o'clock Monday morning, and I get tested. He said get monoclonal antibodies in you as soon as possible, so I did. By noon, I had the monoclonal antibodies in me. Then he told me to do a NAD drip. I did that right after. The next day - so Sunday at 8 o'clock at night I have no taste or smell. I get up Tuesday getting ready to shave. Cleaning my razor, I could smell the alcohol. My taste and smell were back by the next day by 11 o'clock."