UFC White House event

Rogan defends the fighter who beat Derrick Lewis at the White House, saying his divisive persona is a deliberate pro-wrestling-style act.

“This is an act that he does, like a pro wrestling act”

The Joe Rogan Experience: #2523 - Ali Siddiq (Jul 7, 2026) · Listen from 42:59

Rogan reported being told that around 150 million people had watched the White House card in some form.

“they were telling me that they thought it was probably 150 million people had watched it in some form”

The Joe Rogan Experience: #2522 - Tony Hinchcliffe (Jul 2, 2026) · Listen from 1:03:37

Rogan suggests Topuria's loss to Gaethje may benefit him, arguing losses teach fighters they are beatable.

“I think sometimes a loss is like one of the most important things a fighter can ever have”

The Joe Rogan Experience: #2517 - Taylor Sheridan (Jun 23, 2026) · Listen from 2:41:27

Rogan argues the White House event and Gaethje's upset win surpass historic fights like the Rumble in the Jungle.

“This is more historic than Rumble in the Jungle”

The Joe Rogan Experience: JRE MMA Show #181 with Justin Gaethje & Trevor Wittman (Jun 20, 2026) · Listen from 50:50

Palihapitiya argues celebrities like Larry David have lost cultural influence and that every president amplifies part of American culture.

“I think more people care what Jake Paul thinks than what Larry David thinks”

The Megyn Kelly Show: Tucker Carlson Says He’s Leaving GOP, Far-Left Mamdani-Backed Candidates Win NYC Primaries, How World Cup Renewed American Patriotism, w/ Halperin & Palihapitya | Ep. 1346 (Jun 24, 2026) · Listen from 1:35:36

Dillon argues a fighter shouting that Michelle Obama is a man on the White House lawn marked the end point of the MAGA movement.

“and you're asked if you have anything to say and you scream, Michelle Obama's a man. That is the clock has struck midnight”

The Joe Rogan Experience: #2518 - Tim Dillon (Jun 24, 2026) · Listen from 1:44:25

Richardson contends that Theodore Roosevelt's boxing differed from the White House UFC fight because it used no taxpayer money and was not a branding or corruption opportunity.

“taxpayer money didn't go into Teddy Roosevelt's fighting. And it was not a branding opportunity. And for sure, it was not the corruption opportunity”

Pod Save America: Heather Cox Richardson on Trump’s 250th Celebrations (Jun 21, 2026) · Listen from 7:05

Cooke dismisses critics of the UFC event as crazy and calls Heather Cox Richardson a cynic for her lynching comparison.

“All of those people are crazy, with the exception of Heather Cox Richardson, who's a disgraceful cynic”

The Megyn Kelly Show: Michelle Obama Upstages Barack, Euros Love America, and 2028 Rumblings, with Rich Lowry and Charles C.W. Cooke | Ep. 1341 (Jun 17, 2026) · Listen from 1:01:09

Lovett says he has no problem with a spectacle on the White House lawn, objecting instead to its corruption and partisan framing.

“It is the corruption and then making it about him and it being a right wing MAGA thing like that is the problem”

Pod Save America: 80-Year-Old Man Loses War (Jun 16, 2026) · Listen from 30:01

Greenwald argued that liberal outrage over cultural events like the White House UFC card benefits Trump politically.

“liberals have done the greatest favor to Trump by acting completely hysterical”

The Megyn Kelly Show: Meltdown Over Patriotic UFC at White House, with Glenn Greenwald, and Justin Baldoni's Attorney Bryan Freedman Gives Exclusive Details of Settlement | Ep. 1339 (Jun 15, 2026) · Listen from 57:53

Favreau recounted that he believes TKO's Ari Emanuel invited him to the White House UFC event by mistaking him for filmmaker Jon Favreau.

“Ari chose me because what I thought is he thinks I was the other Jon Favreau”

Pod Save America: Trump's Versailles on the Potomac (Jun 5, 2026) · Listen from 1:14:32