Dana White Fires Back at Joe Rogan's UFC White House Comments, Says Pereira Could Become 'GOAT'

Dana White is rejecting criticism from his close friend and lead commentator, Joe Rogan. During a recent interview with Forbes, White addressed Rogan’s dismissal of the June 14 event as a “gimmick” while simultaneously raising the stakes for the main event.

Scheduled to take place on the South Lawn as part of America’s 250th birthday celebrations, UFC Freedom 250 features a massive interim heavyweight title fight between Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane.

Watch Dana White’s Interview with Forbes here:

What Did Joe Rogan Say?

Rogan, who will be on commentary despite his reservations about the security situation at the event, has voiced concerns on his podcast about holding high-stakes title fights outdoors. 

Rogan has also labeled UFC Freedom 250 a “gimmick” during an episode of his “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast when he revealed he would be a part of the commentary team for the event:

“Yeah, I’ll be there, but I’m not thrilled about it. It doesn’t seem like a wise idea,” Rogan stated. “It’s kind of a gimmick.”  

White, however, took a sharp exception to that specific word during his Forbes sit-down, arguing that the term trivializes what is actually a night of career-defining consequences. 

“Whatever Joe Rogan’s opinions are – he said something crazy like, ‘It seems like a gimmick,'” White stated. 

“I mean, what does a gimmick mean? It’s a real fight, with real stakes,” he continued, emphasizing that the event’s production value does not diminish the legitimacy of the bouts.

White also made it clear he holds no animosity toward Rogan for his skepticism regarding the event’s outdoor logistics.

“I don’t call him and say, ‘What are you doing? What are you talking about, bugs?’ I’m talking about bugs, too,” White admitted, showing a rare moment of agreement with the commentator’s practical concerns. 

“These are all real things that come into play that night of the fight,” White added, though he reiterated that safety concerns do not make the event a “gimmick.”

Alex Pereira’s Legacy Over Jon Jones?

The UFC boss shifted his focus to the legacy-defining opportunity awaiting Brazilian star Alex “Poatan” Pereira, suggesting that the “gimmick” label ignores the historic nature of the main event. 

White pointed out that Pereira, a former champion in the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, is on the verge of becoming the first fighter in UFC history to win three titles in three different weight classes. 

“You got Pereira possibly winning his third world title,” White explained to Forbes, using this potential feat as the main point of his rebuttal.

White declared that if Pereira defeats Gane, he will immediately surpass long-reigning pound-for-pound king Jon Jones. This is a monumental shift from White, who has historically defended Jon Jones as the undeniable “greatest of all time” despite Jones’s legal issues and periods of inactivity. 

“If he wins the third world title that night, he jumps over Jon Jones and becomes the greatest of all time,” White said, hyping up what is ultimately only an interim heavyweight title.

Still, winning a third UFC championship at heavyweight for Pereira would be an unprecedented athletic achievement. Poatan has already shattered records for the fewest fights required to win two titles, and adding a third would arguably eclipse Jones’s resume at light heavyweight.

The narrative was further complicated by White’s recent history with Jones, whom he previously stated was never dependable enough to put on this specific card. White has noted that Jones has been forced out of major fights in the past due to legal issues and failed drug tests, making him a liability for an event with zero margin for error. 

UFC Freedom 250

White emphasized that the card represents far more than a financial or political stunt, revealing that the promotion expects to lose a significant amount of money on the production. 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Mark Shapiro, the president of the UFC’s parent company TKO, told Wall Street analysts that the event is projected to cost around $60 million and will not turn a profit. 

White, however, justifies it as a massive branding opportunity for the sport. 

“This is a huge brand play,” White told Forbes, noting that even non-MMA fans are curious about the visual of a cage on the White House lawn.

While White is ready to crown Pereira under the lights of the nation’s capital, he still respects Rogan’s freedom to speak his mind, a dynamic he says extends to everyone in his organization.

“Joe is a grown man, can have his opinions on anything,” White concluded, reinforcing that he doesn’t censor his employees even when they criticize the product. 

UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland, however, recently claimed that his opinions on the U.S. president and his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu got him banned from the event, despite being one of three current UFC champions born in the United States.

As June 14 approaches, the world will watch to see if the outdoor elements become a factor, but more importantly, whether Alex Pereira can seize Dana White’s mantle of “GOAT.”