Joe Rogan Says He Doesn't Like The Idea Of Having UFC Event Outside Of White House

Longtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan is not a fan of the White House’s plan to host a UFC event outside of the White House.

During his most recent podcast episode, Rogan expressed that he thinks it’s “odd” for the UFC to fight outside of the White House.

Rogan shared his reasoning behind not liking the idea is due to it being in an uncontrolled environment where the weather may play a factor on the fighter’s performance.

Yahoo News provided quotes from Rogan:

Podcaster Joe Rogan pulled absolutely no punches when unloading on the upcoming UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House.

“The White House thing is odd. I don’t like it,” Rogan said on the latest episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast alongside former UFC fighter Josh Thompson and veteran referee John McCarthy.

“I don’t like the idea of fighting outside at all,” frequent UFC commentator Rogan continued, pointing to triple-digit temperatures in Washington, D.C., around the same time last year.

“That’s hot as ****,” Rogan noted, before expressing his concerns about bugs, pesticides and dehydration for both fighters and fans at the event, which is backed by Donald Trump and scheduled for June 14, the president’s 80th birthday, as part of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations.

Watch Rogan’s comments from the 2:28:00 point on YouTube here.

Rogan, who interviewed and endorsed Trump before the 2024 election but has since criticized the president on multiple fronts, argued that world title fights belong in controlled environments.

Watch Rogan gives his thoughts here:

😳Joe Rogan says he hates the idea of having an UFC event at the White House:

“The White House thing is odd. I don't like the idea of fighting outside at all.

I just don't think you should compete in a world championship fight in a non-controlled environment. It should be… pic.twitter.com/jimKOcfNND

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) May 28, 2026

It’s kind of funny Rogan used basketball as an example.

Considering, the Super Bowl is usually outside, the World Series is outside, soccer championships are outside, tennis, golf and many more sports are played outside.

Rogan previously shared he was concerned about the event being held during the current conflict with Iran.

Watch here:

Joe Rogan WORRIED about the UFC White House event during a war.pic.twitter.com/v1pudsJyvq

— DramaAlert (@DramaAlert) March 12, 2026

MSN reported more on the upcoming event:

On June 14, President Donald Trump will celebrate both his 80th birthday and the 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding with the country’s greatest spectacle: several hours of undoubtedly bloody cage fights on the White House’s South Lawn.

The event is the culmination of a long relationship between Trump and the UFC’s president, American businessman Dana White. White, who recently told Rolling Stone that he was “right down the middle” politically, has been a staunch ally of the president for Trump’s entire political career. Trump, in turn, has been both Dana White and the sport of MMA’s biggest fan for decades.

“Everyone has their thing, and Donald Trump’s thing is the UFC,” White told Rolling Stone.

In recent years, the UFC’s rising popularity has helped White establish something of a chokehold on American culture, as his sport is integral to the increasingly right-leaning “manosphere.” MMA now sits at the nexus of American politics and culture. A fight at the heart of the capital, then, was almost inevitable – all Donald Trump had to do is ask.

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Currently the UFC Freedom 250 fighting arena is being built on the White House’s front lawn.

Take a look:

The White House lawn is starting to look different as construction continues on the UFC Freedom 250 arena at the White House.

Crews are now building out the event site as President Trump moves forward with plans to host the UFC spectacle on White House grounds.

The event is… pic.twitter.com/FYgSo5oi9X

— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 26, 2026

Will you be watching?