Joe Rogan announces his latest UFC deal on the Joe Rogan Experience.
Joe Rogan announced today that he has re-signed with the UFC for an additional year. He made the announcement on his podcast, the Joe Rogan Experience, after his guest, UFC Featherweight Jeremy Stephens, questioned him on his standing with the UFC.
"I signed for at least one more year. I was on the fence man, I just do too much shit. I'm too fucking busy. I don't know if I'm doing myself or all the other things I do a disservice," Rogan said.
The news comes weeks after the $4 billion sale of the UFC to WME-IMG. In May, Rogan said that if the UFC sold he would 100% leave the company. But, now that the sale is done, Rogan talked about his back and forth thought process that ultimately led to his decision to continue with the UFC when he thought he wouldn't. The deal was eventually made with some alterations to his role as a commentator.
"I had a conversation with Dana, we had a bunch of conversations. What I decided to do was no more international travel. No more flying across the planet."
With the decreased work schedule, Rogan believes that Brian Stann, Dan Hardy and Kenny Florian will take over where he leaves off. One of the biggest things that led to his decision to stay with the UFC was the outcome of an event from earlier this year. UFC 196 featured upset finishes from Nate Diaz and Miesha Tate in one of the most entertaining fight cards of recent memory.
"I was really convinced it was over. [UFC 196], that night was so crazy and so chaotic. I walked out of there like, "How can I not do this? I'm sitting right there cageside for the craziest shit in the sporting world ever!"
Travel was a main factor in Rogan's decision making process, and that not going to international events will give him more time for his other jobs.
"If I go to Brazil that's five days out of my life...and on top of that there's the recovery time. The flying fucks with my head. I'm cutting down a lot of events, but I'm doing at-least one more year. It's a year by year thing."
Rogan got his start in the UFC as a backstage interviewer at UFC 12. He began his color commentating career at UFC 37.5 before signing on for the long-haul at UFC 40.
"I don't want anyone to think that I don't appreciate it or that I don't know how lucky I am or that I don't think it's an amazing jobs. I definitely do. I'm almost too lucky, I have too many amazing jobs."