The UFC and me
There’s been a lot of goofy articles written on the internet lately about me missing the UFC card in Montreal this weekend, speculating all sorts of silly reasons why I’m not going to be there, so I figured it would be a good idea if I cleared it up here.
The only reason I’m not going to be there is because of a family obligation.
I’m certainly not upset at the UFC, and I’m not quitting to start doing commentary for a rival organization.
I’ve also heard some ridiculous shit about me having massive fallout with the UFC president Dana White, which couldn’t be further from the truth.
Dana is a very good friend of mine, and in the 7 years I’ve known him we’ve never even had a single disagreement.
He’s a controversial dude, and a wild motherfucker, but that’s why he’s the perfect president for the wildest sport in the world.
We met back in 2001 when Zuffa purchased the UFC, and he’s the one that convinced me to do commentary after seeing how big a fan I am of the sport. I’ve seen this sport explode from relative obscurity to one of the most popular sports in the world, and if it weren’t for Dana White, and massive balls of Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta this sport wouldn’t be anywhere near as popular as it is now.
Lorenzo and Frank, the owners of the UFC risked an incredible amount of money, and were DEEP into the red on this investment when the success of the Ultimate Fighter TV show finally launched this sport into the public’s awareness, and every fan on the planet owes them a debt of gratitude.
They were literally everything this sport needed; they were true fans of the sport with the brains, money and balls to make it popular.
On top of that, they’re cool as fuck.
The UFC has been the greatest job outside of stand up that I’ve ever had by a long shot, and I look forward to every single event. The entire production crew and everyone associated with the organization are a pleasure to work with, and I love them all.
So in closing, I’m not going anywhere, bitches!
See you guys in may!
[...] Rogan posted today at The Underground that the rumors are “bullshit,” and went into more detail on his blog: There’s been a lot of goofy articles written on the internet lately about me missing the UFC [...]
[...] to some reckless and irresponsible reporting that claimed he was on the verge of leaving the UFC. Via his blog, Rogan issued the following statement: There’s been a lot of goofy articles written on the [...]
Glad to hear it.
I’m happy.
[...] what Joe Rogan had to say about Dana White, the UFC and the Fertittas on his blog: There’s been a lot of goofy articles written on the internet lately about me missing the UFC [...]
sweet, good, thanks.
Joe is the bestess on the UFC. It didn’t feel like it without him. K-Flo was good… but he isn’t Joe.
Glad all the dipshits that start rumors aren’t right.
ltr,
T
Joe,
If it weren’t for your commentary, the UFC wouldn’t be the same. All these other organizations, their commentators suck and the end result is an event that lacks a certain level of excitement and professionalism. Without fluffing it too much, your level of knowledge and enthusiasm is a lot of the reason why UFC can be the superbowl of MMA.
I’m also tired of Pride fanboys who can’t seem to get over the fact that Pride is gone. How much longer are we going to hear how Pride was better than UFC and how much they think Dana White sucks because someone else said so? Thanks for backing up Dana because he knows how to run a successful business for the benefit of MMA. No disrepect to Tito and Randy, but in the business world, you never get what you ask for.
[...] More from Joe Rogan’s blog here. Related posts: [...]
thats the thing about shit if you dont stick around to smell it , it dont stink ppl say all kinda shot from time to time wait to you hear from the ppl thay are saying it about , we can all say shit dont make it true anyways have a sweeeeeeet ass day ppl
I watch your vids now and then, funny thing is nothing you ever say surprises me, it just makes sense, it’s the same way I think and am. It’s refreshing, nice to have someone on the level in the media. It, whatever IT is, is gaining momentum, and change will come, the dinosaurs will die (please give blood) (Saul Williams). I feel that I can understand everyones perspective, I guess it comes from open mindedness.WE are the same. I don’t know if you can believe that, but it is almost proof of a human consciousness that we can all tap into once we achieve a certain level of consciousness or perspective. I don’t believe in stress at all, the cost is too high. I wonder sometimes if people like us are on the forefront of human consciousness, if we are the future, and through the HUman Telepathy (we are beings of pure energy, of course we affect energy around us) – I guess ideas along the lines of Waking Life. Zeitgeist, Keith Thompson New World Order Facts, Keith Olbermann, Jon Stewart, Colbert, people share thoughts without even knowing it. Things are just floating in air for us to reach out and grab. The human Brain is the least understood thing in the universe, on par with black holes and the 10th dimension haha, we all know the aliens built the pyramids and mushrooms are really genetic based communications from space, the spores sent here on asteroids frozen for Aeons in the vacuum freezer of space, but the question really is what did Britney have for supper tonight?
I want to build treehouses and ziplines all over the world. If this interests anyone, including you Joe, let me know, I’m dialed in to the networks.
- SavEarTHroughPlay
It’s a shame that this entire piece was written without exposing the crime of the UFC – radically underpaid fighters – while the Fertittas make billions. Most fighters make $100,000 a year? What’s your source, Dana White?
The salaries for many UFC events have been publicly reported. You can find them on Wikipedia in many cases: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFC_79. Many of the fighters receive less than $10,000 per fight, with some making as little as $3,000 a fight. And keep in mind that they train several months for these fights. With total hauls for the event being in the range of $25MM as you indicate, does it seem fair that total purses are in the range of 1/25 of the take? I’d feel cheated if I were a fighter, and many of higher paid fighters (Ortiz, Couture, Sylvia) have left or threatened to leave over pay. The poor $3,000 per fight guys have no leverage, so they are stuck fighting for Burger King wages. Please write a more balanced piece next time, and account for the fighters and the risks they take (a US-based MMA fighter died recently due to blunt trauma to the head) rather than spending 100% of the piece sucking up to the Fertittas.
Is this true?
No wonder. Fertitta was an ex Las Vegas Commissioner who kept the sport out until he could buy it. Then make it only legal in Vegas. Keep it out of California until 2006 so they could get full control of the sport. Even though the sport was approved in California in 2000. But when Zuffa purchased the UFC from SEG in 2001 it was banned in California. What a coincidence.
They control the commissions.
They hired Kirk Hendrix the Ex Attorney General for the Las Vegas Athletic Commission who was helping in keeping the sport out. And now they Hired Mark Ratner Ex Director for the Las Vegas athletic commission. His job is to establish commissions in State where they don’t have them. Easy to plant there people. Wake up to the MMA Monopoly!
What about that?