When it comes to his pre-JRE life, Joe Rogan has definitely been the “Jack of all trades.” The standup comic has released ten comedy specials so far. Aside from that, he has worked in a sitcom named ‘NewsRadio.’ His very first TV gig came through a sports comedy titled ‘Hardball’ in 1994. Despite bagging one of the leading roles on the show, it only aired nine episodes.
Rogan has also guested on NBC’s Just Shoot Me!, The Man Show, The Chapelle Show, and many more. Most of his fanbase knows him for hosting the Fear Factor show between 2001 and 2006, with a brief stint in 2011. Aside from that, he also hosts arguably the biggest podcast on earth, The Joe Rogan Experience.
Joe Rogan’s First UFC appearance | Early days of UFC #mma #UFC #joerogan #jre #UFC12 pic.twitter.com/0Jodg8JA51
— Lionel Rivera (@lionelriveraMMA) February 16, 2023
However, in the last two decades, Rogan has made a huge name for himself by working as a UFC color commentator. What Joe has accomplished in the promotion is nothing short of remarkable. Starting out as a post-fight interviewer, Joe went on to become the leading voice of the world’s largest MMA organization.
Because of his close ties with the company president Dana White, fans often wonder if Rogan partly owns the UFC. Let’s find out.
When did Rogan join the UFC?
Joe Rogan has become synonymous with the UFC over the course of twenty-plus years. Aside from being a martial arts fanatic, his short stint as a kickboxer also helped Joe’s passion grow for the company. Joe initially interviewed UFC athletes backstage. However, due to losing money, he quit the job after two years.
After Zuffa acquired the Las Vegas-based promotion, Dana White approached Rogan again, this time with a commentary gig offer. Rogan immediately took on the role, however, he reportedly did the first 12 events for free.
According to Rogan, the company was “hemorrhaging money.” Thus, he offered to initially work for them for free. However, he did have a condition which the promotion happily obliged at the time. He told them, “Just get me there, get me and my friend’s tickets and I’ll do it. So that’s how I operated for over a year”.
In 2012, Joe appeared on The Rosie Show to explain how he became a part of UFC’s broadcast team. Rogan said, “I started out in 1997 with them. I was the post-fight interviewer. This is what they did – they brought me there, they gave me a microphone, they put an earpiece in me and they go, ‘Okay, ready, Joe? We’re going to come to you in three seconds.'”
Rogan added, “Nobody explained to me what I was going to do, how to interview people. it was a weird organization back then.” Obviously, the company has since grown leaps and bounds, owing to Dana White and the Fertitta brothers’ leadership.
Does Joe Rogan partly own the UFC?
Despite never gracing the Octagon as a fighter, Joe Rogan’s UFC fame remains unmatchable. He is arguably more popular than a bunch of noted fighters under the banner. Joe still stands as one of the longest-tenured employees in the promotion, having started in 1997 at first.
This has often sparked questions in fans’ minds about Joe possessing ownership rights in the company. Gigantic enterprises like the UFC often have multiple ownerships. It is common knowledge that ‘Endeavor’ currently holds the majority of UFC’s shares to date. Hence, some fans have remained curious to know whether Rogan also owns a certain amount of stake in the company.
Owing to his long-time role as UFC’s color commentator, several theories claimed that he was one of the original owners. However, the truth states the complete opposite. Despite being with the promotion for over two decades, Joe doesn’t co-own the UFC. It is indeed true that nobody can predict the future. But so far, Joe seems content with his commentating duties and plans on continuing the same role for the foreseeable future.
At present, Zuffa, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings, currently owns and operates the MMA behemoth. During the famous 2016 acquisition by WME-IMG, Dana White and the Fertitta brothers sold most of their UFC shares. In April of this year, Endeavor acquired WWE at a valuation of $9.3 billion, as per CNBC.
Despite not being a part owner of the UFC, Joe still seems financially set for life. At present, he co-owns the health supplement brand named Onnit. Aside from that, Rogan also inked a $200 million dollar deal with Spotify in 2020. As per Protocol, the contract covers 3.5 years of exclusivity on The Joe Rogan Experience for the platform.
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