Joe Rogan warns Trump that White House UFC event could be a mess

Story by

Joe Sommerlad

Wed, December 10, 2025 at 2:29 PM UTC

4 min read

Joe Rogan, the popular podcaster and UFC announcer, has questioned President Donald Trump’s planned cage fight on the White House’s South Lawn, scheduled for June 14 next year, warning it could be a disaster.

“What kind of f***ing security are they going to have for this?” the host asked on the latest episode of The Joe Rogan Experience on Spotify.

“Gotta be insane,” his guest, MMA fighter Brendan Allen, replied. “I can’t imagine, like you said, the security, the behind the scenes, how much stuff's really going to happen.”

Joe Rogan expresses skepticism as to how the June 2026 UFC event at the White House will work out in a podast interview with MMA fighter Brendan Allen (The Joe Rogan Experience)

“A lot of weird pressure, too,” Rogan continued. “Because it’s like all the security and the protocols, all that extra s*** in your mind before you have to go out there and fight.”

He also expressed concern about the event's staging and the likely weather conditions, which could pose problems for the combatants inside the Octagon.

“What if it’s hot and muggy?” Rogan asked, prompting Allen to note that he had watched outdoor fights in Louisiana and seen the fighters “slipping and sliding” in the arena because of the humidity.

The host concluded the discussion by saying, “So, who knows what’s going to happen. I guess they’ll probably have to have some sort of a roof over it. But what if it’s like 98 degrees outside? D.C. gets hot. It gets hot in the summer.”

The Independent has reached out to the White House for comment.

Rogan was credited with playing a crucial role in last year’s presidential election by inviting Trump onto his show and endorsing him.

This enabled the Republican nominee to reach a younger male audience. Still, he has become increasingly critical of late, calling the president’s crackdown on undocumented migrants “f***ing nuts” and, most recently, ridiculing him for texting like a “79-year-old kid.”

Trump, ever the showman, recently touted the upcoming UFC bout to celebrate the 250th anniversary of America and his own 80th birthday by saying it would be one of the “biggest fights they've ever had” while speaking at the Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump at the 48th Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday, which the former offered some additional details about next year’s brawl (AP)

“They’re building an arena, the great Dana White’s building an arena,” he said. “And they’re gonna have eight or nine championship fights, the biggest fights they’ve ever had. Every one’s a championship fight, and everyone’s a legendary type of fighter.

“I think the arena’s gonna be 5,000 or 6,000 seats, right in front of the front door of the White House, and 100,000 people in the back, where they’re putting up eight or 10 very big screens. That’s gonna be an exciting night.”

Trump first trailed the event in July during a speech at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.

Details are currently scarce, but a weigh-in for the participants is expected to be held in front of the Lincoln Memorial, and White, the UFC’s CEO and a long-time friend of Trump’s, has said that the screens mentioned will be erected in a nearby park to relay the contest to an 85,000-strong crowd.

He also told Sports Business Journal in October that his company would pay $700,000 to restore the South Lawn after the event.

There is no word yet as to who will be taking part, but numerous fighters have thrown their names into the hat, including former champions Conor McGregor and Jon Jones.

Ex-UFC champion Conor McGregor speaks in the White House Briefing Room on March 17 this year (EPA)

White, however, has been coy about McGregor’s involvement and suggested he could not trust Jones.

McGregor has not fought since suffering a broken leg in 2021 and is currently serving an anti-doping ban for whereabouts failures, with his suspension ending in March. The Irishman has had his own legal issues since then, but was also hosted at the White House for St Patrick’s Day this year, suggesting he may have an in.

Jones, meanwhile, is regarded by many fans as the greatest MMA fighter of all time, but numerous failed drug tests and legal issues have marred the American’s career.

The 38-year-old retired this summer, finally vacating the heavyweight title, but has since said he would love to fight at the White House.

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