Eight PPV events that crossed one million buys, first simultaneous two-weight title reign, biggest crossover fight in combat sports history, first fighter to headline the UFC’s maiden event in New York at the MSG – you would think these reasons would be enough to anoint Conor McGregor as the biggest reason behind UFC’s popularity boom. Except, Joe Rogan would stop you in your tracks. For the commentator of over two decades, it’s Dana White who deserves the credit for the UFC being where it is today.
Dana White helmed the journey that brought the promotion’s valuation to $12.3 billion. However, Joe Rogan doesn’t really believe that it was an entity that helped the UFC rise. So, what’s the reason for the UFC being the number one MMA promotion, as per Rogan?
During episode #166 of the JRE MMA Show, the 57-year-old podcaster sat down with Ilia Topuria. And as the duo talked, the former featherweight champion asked the UFC color commentator about his opinion on the fight promotion’s success. But even though fighters like Conor McGregor, Brock Lesnar, and Ronda Rousey were major attractions of the UFC, Rogan had something else in his mind. Yes, even though ‘The Notorious’ broke the records by collecting some of the highest PPV buyouts and getting a complete sellout without even actually fighting (at UFC 303).
Rogan answered, “I think the big thing was The Ultimate Fighter. I think everybody kind of agrees with that. The Ultimate Fighter reality show, what made the UFC huge was the first season of that reality show. Because this was 2005. So, reality shows were really popular back then. This is, you know, Survivor, and Fear Factor, and there’s all these reality shows, and Big Brother. And so they had this reality show that people are watching with fighters, and then they have the finale.” The finale of TUF season 1 had Forrest Griffin pitted against Stephan Bonnar in a bloodbath of a fight. Rogan continued, “It’s such a crazy fight that people are just telling their friends, the ratings were going up as the fight went on.”
The JRE host also pointed out that the Fertitta brothers were $40 million down during that time. They even got ready to sell the fight promotion to prevent further losses. But White and the team came forth with the idea of a reality show as a last resort. Rogan went on, “And they did this reality show, and the reality show worked.” It’s crazy how one simple move can make such a huge impact on an organization’s success, right?
MMA: UFC 249, May 9, 2020 Jacksonville, Florida, USA UFC commentator Joe Rogan in attendance before UFC 249 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports, 09.05.2020 18:40:04, 14296442, NPStrans, UFC, UFC 249, VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, Joe Rogan, MMA PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xJasenxVinlovex 14296442
Conor McGregor has featured on TUF twice – Season 22 back in 2015, and Season 31 in 2023. He coached against Urijah Faber and Michael Chandler, respectively, and interestingly enough, fought neither (yet). Both of his stints gave fans memorable moments to remember, many of which became iconic memes in the MMA community. Yet, when Rogan had to name a UFC star that pulled the UFC to safe ports, it was not ‘The Notorious.’
The one other guy who played a major role in UFC’s massive success, according to Rogan was the legendary Chuck Liddell. Let’s see what the JRE host had to say about the former light heavyweight champion.
Joe Rogan puts the spotlight on Chuck Liddell for the UFC’s popularity
Continuing the conversation with Topuria, Rogan claimed that Liddell had an equivalent contribution to UFC’s success. The 57-year-old said, “And then they had Chuck Liddell, and Chuck Liddell was the perfect poster boy for this new cage fighting thing. This f—— maniac with a mohawk and a tattoo on his head and he’s just crushing everybody. You know, he was the perfect guy, because the fights were so exciting, and he had this insane style.”
Rogan compared ‘The Iceman’s style with that of Michael Chandler. And yet, he claimed that the former fighter was better. He had a record of 21-9, and 13 of his wins came via KOs. His fists soon became an intimidating factor in the light heavyweight division. On top of that, he seemingly relied too little on his wrestling even though he had a background in fighting on the ground. Rogan continued, “Big guy, KOs people with one punch. And you know, it was perfect for the sport… He was the poster boy, he was the guy. He was the guy that put the sport on the map because people would watch him and go ‘Jeez’.”
Of course, Topuria had to agree with the kind of things the former light heavyweight champion achieved during his tenure in the UFC. Do you agree with the UFC color commentator’s opinion? Who do you think is the man who brought the UFC to great heights? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.
The post Not Conor McGregor, 1 Major Move From Dana White Made UFC Successful According to Joe Rogan appeared first on EssentiallySports.
