Joe Rogan is raising alarms about the UFC’s planned outdoor "UFC White House" event on June 14, questioning whether world-class fighters should be competing in Washington, D.C. summer heat.
The card is scheduled to take place outside at the White House, with UFC president Dana White previously describing complex security logistics due to the planned attendance of President Donald Trump and other officials. The event is expected to be one of the most expensive combat sports shows ever produced and will not sell tickets, instead hosting invited guests at the White House and offering free viewing for fans at the neighboring Ellipse park.
"The White House thing is odd," Rogan said, before outlining his issues with the outdoor setup. "I don’t like it. I don’t like the idea of fighting outside at all. June and it’s D.C. and we looked it up, the last time, like last year, same day, was 100 degrees. That’s hot as f*ck. You add the lights. How about dehydration?"
Rogan also highlighted potential in-fight distractions. "The bugs are a big one. What are they going to do about that? How are they going to f*cking do anything about the bugs because I know that Dana was talking about that recently, they were talking about maybe using fans. Is that enough? Got bug strips everywhere? What are you going to do? How are you going to stop the bugs, there’s a lot of bugs."
"I just don’t think that you should compete in a world championship fight in a non-controlled environment," Rogan added. "I think it should be inside an air conditioned arena."
He even floated an alternative: "Build a roof. You’ve got all the money in the world. You want to do this for f*cking America, it’s 4,000 seats. You build a 4,000-seat arena."
