Ultimate Fighting Championship
Organization in Sports
Ultimate Fighting Championship has come up in 13 episodes across 6 podcasts in TMT, including The Joe Rogan Experience, Pardon My Take, The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett. 12 people have made recorded remarks about it.
What people said
Joe RoganAmerican comedian and host of The Joe Rogan Experience
Rogan advised that fighters who are uncommitted should retire.
“my advice for anyone who's always got one foot in and one foot out is get out”
The Joe Rogan Experience: JRE MMA Show #186 with Sean Sharaf (Oct 1, 2026) · Listen from 1:14:18
Rogan said that if he wrote the rules, referees would never stand fighters up.
“if you gave me the ability to write the rules, I would never stand anybody up, ever”
The Joe Rogan Experience: JRE MMA Show #186 with Sean Sharaf (Oct 1, 2026) · Listen from 59:18
Rogan argued referees should immediately deduct a point for eye pokes.
“I'm of the opinion the moment that happens, they should take a point away instantly, instantaneously”
The Joe Rogan Experience: JRE MMA Show #186 with Sean Sharaf (Oct 1, 2026) · Listen from 42:39
Rogan suggested Alex Pereira might fight better at heavyweight if about 20 pounds lighter than his 251-pound weigh-in.
“maybe even 20 pounds lighter, like maybe 230 something. Maybe that would be a better weight”
The Joe Rogan Experience: #2522 - Tony Hinchcliffe (Jul 2, 2026) · Listen from 1:20:07
Dana WhitePresident and CEO of the UFC
White recounts that he initially opposed women in the UFC because he was selling male fights to networks and sponsors.
“I didn't want women in the UFC, right? And the reasoning is I was trying to sell men to networks and sponsors”
The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett: Dana White: This Generation Thinks You Can Build A Business From Home, It's Impossible! (Oct 5, 2026) · Listen from 47:28
White criticises Ian Garry for embracing his opponent in the fifth round instead of pressing for the win.
“Show Islam all the love you want when the fight's over. This is the fifth round. You have five minutes left”
The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett: Dana White: This Generation Thinks You Can Build A Business From Home, It's Impossible! (Oct 5, 2026) · Listen from 40:43
White claims the UFC now competes with the major American sports leagues rather than other fight promoters.
“My competitors are the NFL, Major League Baseball, the NHL, and the NBA”
The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett: Dana White: This Generation Thinks You Can Build A Business From Home, It's Impossible! (Oct 5, 2026) · Listen from 30:52
White values the UFC at about $50 billion by comparison with the Lakers' sale price.
“The UFC was purchased for $2 million. And if the Lakers sold for $12.5 billion, then the UFC is worth $50 billion, okay?”
The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett: Dana White: This Generation Thinks You Can Build A Business From Home, It's Impossible! (Oct 5, 2026) · Listen from 16:45
Khabib NurmagomedovRussian former mixed martial artist from Dagestan who retired as UFC lightweight champion with a 29-0 record
Nurmagomedov names Joe Rogan the second most responsible person for promoting the UFC after Dana White and says appearing on Rogan's podcast is inevitable.
“But second place without question goes to Joe Rogan. It's honestly hard to imagine the UFC without him”
Lex Fridman Podcast: #500 – Khabib Nurmagomedov: Dagestan, MMA, UFC, Islam, Conor, Fedor & Football (Aug 12, 2026) · Listen from 2:27:32
Nurmagomedov credits Dana White's ability to separate business from personal relationships and to put the UFC first as the reason the promotion grew so fast.
“He's very good at separating business from personal relationships. For him, the two never, never overlap”
Lex Fridman Podcast: #500 – Khabib Nurmagomedov: Dagestan, MMA, UFC, Islam, Conor, Fedor & Football (Aug 12, 2026) · Listen from 2:24:37
Nurmagomedov says he worries that time is running out for Islam Makhachev to break the records of Jones, Johnson and St-Pierre because lighter weight classes are less forgiving of age.
“Islam has a chance, but time is starting to run out a little”
Lex Fridman Podcast: #500 – Khabib Nurmagomedov: Dagestan, MMA, UFC, Islam, Conor, Fedor & Football (Aug 12, 2026) · Listen from 2:21:27
Nurmagomedov ranks Daniel Cormier among the top ten greatest fighters and argues Cormier pushed Jon Jones to train harder.
“Well, top 10 for sure. One of the top 10 greatest, no question”
Lex Fridman Podcast: #500 – Khabib Nurmagomedov: Dagestan, MMA, UFC, Islam, Conor, Fedor & Football (Aug 12, 2026) · Listen from 2:12:53
Daniel RodriguezAmerican mixed martial artist competing in the UFC welterweight division
Rodriguez described his win over Kevin Holland as a back-and-forth fight in which both men were dropped.
“i dropped him in the second you know i was blew my gas tank trying to finish him”
The Joe Rogan Experience: JRE MMA Show #180 with Daniel Rodriguez (Jun 2, 2026) · Listen from 2:02:43
Rodriguez said he believes he could be fighting for the UFC welterweight title within four or five fights.
“in four or five fights, go, like, four or five fights, I could be fighting for the championship”
The Joe Rogan Experience: JRE MMA Show #180 with Daniel Rodriguez (Jun 2, 2026) · Listen from 47:52
Rodriguez said that after life-threatening street situations, an MMA fight feels like a safe environment, which explains his calm demeanor.
“I just feel like in an MMA fight, it's a safe environment. Like, believe it or not, to me, it's safe”
The Joe Rogan Experience: JRE MMA Show #180 with Daniel Rodriguez (Jun 2, 2026) · Listen from 34:57
Sean SharafAmerican UFC heavyweight fighter and former U.S. Marine
Sharaf said that if fighting is only about money, he could earn a living in other ways without brain damage.
“if it's just the money, I could find a way to make money without getting my brain smashed”
The Joe Rogan Experience: JRE MMA Show #186 with Sean Sharaf (Oct 1, 2026) · Listen from 45:25
Sharaf said he received no sponsorship, promotion, or support during his fight preparation.
“brother, I've had zero sponsors. I got zero promo. I got zero, like, any kind of, like, support throughout this whole thing”
The Joe Rogan Experience: JRE MMA Show #186 with Sean Sharaf (Oct 1, 2026) · Listen from 8:32
Urijah FaberAmerican retired mixed martial artist, UFC Hall of Famer and founder of Team Alpha Male
Faber describes starting when MMA was illegal in California, with no weight class for him and no women in the sport.
“I started when it was illegal in California. I mean, literally, the only fights happening were on any casinos. There was no weight class for me”
Digital Social Hour: Urijah Faber Reveals His Secret Struggle... | DSH #1963 (May 13, 2026) · Listen from 9:13
Faber argues that what separates top fighters is mentality, and much supposedly new technique existed in old books.
“the common stuff is is the mentality and the guys that are at the highest level. It's it's it's all in the mind”
Digital Social Hour: Urijah Faber Reveals His Secret Struggle... | DSH #1963 (May 13, 2026) · Listen from 3:47
Brendan SchaubFormer UFC heavyweight, comedian and host of Big Brown Breakdown and the Tubi series Gearheads Gone Wild
Schaub argues the Paramount deal's card volume has lowered the talent level of UFC signings.
“You're signing these contender series kids who have three fights, four fights, where 10 years ago, those boys ain't sniffing the UFC”
The Joe Rogan Experience: #2498 - Brendan Schaub (May 13, 2026) · Listen from 1:19:12
Schaub advocates getting conditioning from sport-specific training rather than strength-and-conditioning drills close to a fight.
“a big proponent of do your sport. Get your cardio from your sport. I see it across the board”
The Joe Rogan Experience: #2498 - Brendan Schaub (May 13, 2026) · Listen from 35:39
Dan HardyBritish former UFC welterweight, PFL commentator and former head of PFL Europe fighter operations, host of the Full Reptile podcast
Hardy contends the UFC is not currently acting as the custodian the sport needs and that more organizations are required.
“Unfortunately, in my opinion, the UFC is not the custodian of the sport that we need right now”
The Joe Rogan Experience: JRE MMA Show #178 with Dan Hardy (May 6, 2026) · Listen from 2:24:18
Hardy attributes the decline of MMA's grassroots growth to the UFC's control and monopolization of the sport.
“I think the control and the monopolization of the sport by the UFC, unfortunately”
The Joe Rogan Experience: JRE MMA Show #178 with Dan Hardy (May 6, 2026) · Listen from 32:28
Justin GaethjeAmerican mixed martial artist and Nurmagomedov's final opponent
Gaethje says the UFC should compensate him for past performances by giving him equity in a company.
“the UFC should make a company and give me equity in that company”
The Joe Rogan Experience: JRE MMA Show #181 with Justin Gaethje & Trevor Wittman (Jun 20, 2026) · Listen from 1:27:38
PFT CommenterBarstool Sports writer and co-host of Pardon My Take
PFT Commenter argues holding the UFC card outdoors at the White House in late June is a bad idea because of heat, humidity and bugs.
“I think it's a bad idea. I think Joe Rogan has said, like, this is a bad idea”
Pardon My Take: NBA Finals With Kirk Goldsberry, FSU Head Coach Luke Loucks, Myles Garrett To The Rams + Memes Vs Zac (Jun 3, 2026) · Listen from 1:15:41
Josh ThompsonRetired MMA champion, fight analyst and co-host of the Weighing In podcast
Thompson accepts win bonuses if pay is weighted heavily toward show money.
“I'm okay with the win bonus, but it's got to be more skewed towards the show money”
The Joe Rogan Experience: JRE MMA Show #179 with Josh Thompson & "Big" John McCarthy (May 27, 2026) · Listen from 55:04
John McCarthyVeteran MMA referee, PFL commentator and founder of the C.O.M.M.A.N.D. referee and judge training school
McCarthy says he wrote the rule changes legalizing 12-to-6 elbows, which the ABC passed with a six-month implementation period.
“I wrote those things out, and they were passed by the ABC, but we gave six months”
The Joe Rogan Experience: JRE MMA Show #179 with Josh Thompson & "Big" John McCarthy (May 27, 2026) · Listen from 2:45
Coverage over time
Podcasts
- The Joe Rogan Experience · 7 episodes
- Pardon My Take · 2 episodes
- The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett · 1 episode
- Lex Fridman Podcast · 1 episode
- SmartLess · 1 episode
- Digital Social Hour · 1 episode
Episodes
Dana White: This Generation Thinks You Can Build A Business From Home, It's Impossible!The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett · Oct 5, 2026 · 1 h 28 min
UFC chief Dana White tells Steven Bartlett about his childhood, building the UFC, hiring 'killers', health turnaround, his estranged mother, risk-taking and his boxing ambitions.
JRE MMA Show #186 with Sean SharafThe Joe Rogan Experience · Oct 1, 2026 · 2 h 21 min
Joe Rogan talks with UFC heavyweight Sean Sharaf about his 12-second upset knockout of Gable Steveson, possible retirement, MMA rules, Gaza, surveillance, and AI.
#500 – Khabib Nurmagomedov: Dagestan, MMA, UFC, Islam, Conor, Fedor & FootballLex Fridman Podcast · Aug 12, 2026
Khabib Nurmagomedov tells Lex Fridman about Dagestan's fighting culture, his father's coaching, the Conor McGregor fight, Islam, and football.
Tony Romo, Conor McGregor Blows Out His Knee, The World Cup Is All Blue Bloods + Mt Rushmore Of Guys You Want To See Ride A HorsePardon My Take · Jul 13, 2026 · 2 h 32 min
The Pardon My Take crew recaps Conor McGregor's injury and the World Cup, then interviews Tony Romo about his career, broadcasting and golf.
#2522 - Tony HinchcliffeThe Joe Rogan Experience · Jul 2, 2026 · 2 h 55 min
Joe Rogan and comedian Tony Hinchcliffe discuss the UFC White House card, the Kevin Hart roast backlash, outrage culture, media distrust, Youngstown crime, and Kanye West's stadium shows.
JRE MMA Show #181 with Justin Gaethje & Trevor WittmanThe Joe Rogan Experience · Jun 20, 2026 · 2 h 24 min
Joe Rogan talks with new UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje and coach Trevor Wittman about Gaethje's title win over Ilia Topuria at the White House.
NBA Finals With Kirk Goldsberry, FSU Head Coach Luke Loucks, Myles Garrett To The Rams + Memes Vs ZacPardon My Take · Jun 3, 2026 · 2 h 56 min
The Pardon My Take crew covers the Zach–Memes feud, the Myles Garrett and A.J. Brown trades, and NBA Finals picks, with guests Kirk Goldsberry and FSU coach Luke Loucks.
JRE MMA Show #180 with Daniel RodriguezThe Joe Rogan Experience · Jun 2, 2026 · 2 h 22 min
UFC welterweight Daniel Rodriguez tells Joe Rogan about eight months in a Tijuana jail over an ounce of marijuana and his comeback fight in Serbia.
JRE MMA Show #179 with Josh Thompson & "Big" John McCarthyThe Joe Rogan Experience · May 27, 2026 · 2 h 52 min
Joe Rogan, referee Big John McCarthy and retired fighter Josh Thompson discuss MMA rules, weight cutting, judging, brain health, recent fights, the UFC White House card, ibogaine and California politics.
"RE-RELEASE: Nate Bargatze"SmartLess · May 21, 2026 · 54 min
Comedian Nate Bargatze tells the SmartLess hosts about his magician father, early bombs, his clean storytelling style, arena touring, and life in Tennessee.