has done more to popularize the UFC than anyone else. With his JRE podcast being arguably the largest platform on the internet, he has been the gateway to many new fans being introduced to the sport of MMA in general and the UFC in particular.
The podcast host is also a UFC commentator and first started working for the promotion over a quarter of a century ago. He continued in this role this year too, and called some of the biggest cards of the UFC in 2023.
This year has been a great year for the UFC full of great storylines, knockouts, redemptions, and upsets. And Joe Rogan, being the dedicated fan he is, has enjoyed every one of those moments. Even if he did not call all of the fights, he has scheduled JRE Fight Companions for all major cards. This year, Rogan has served as a commentator for six major UFC cards and is scheduled to cover one upcoming PPV card.
Rogan was in Las Vegas to call ‘ return bout against for the heavyweight title at UFC 285 in March this year, which Jones won. The next pay-per-view card he commentated on was UFC 287 headlined by the rematch between and . Adesanya, of course, won the bout and reclaimed his middleweight title. He was present at UFC 288 to witness the return of against bantamweight champion .
After five rounds, ‘Funkmaster’ eked out a split decision victory over the former Olympic gold medallist and two-division champion. In July, Rogan called UFC 290, headlined by the featherweight title bout between champion and Yair Rodriguez, which the champion won via a third-round KO/TKO. The psychedelics enthusiast was also part of the commentary team in the next PPV card at UFC 291 where defeated with a spectacular head-kick KO to become the new BMF title holder.
He also called UFC 292 which saw beat the fighter with the most UFC bantamweight title defenses in Aljamain Sterling due to a spectacular counter right. Rogan will also commentate on the upcoming UFC 295 bout at the Madison Square Garden on November 11. And while Rogan’s association with the UFC is going strong, there are serious questions if he will continue his podcast deal with Spotify as their mega-deal comes to an end.
Spotify signed Joe Rogan’s JRE podcast in 2020. And as 2023 comes to an end, so does his deal with the music and podcast streaming platform. This has raised questions about what his moves post-2023 will be. He could choose to stay with Spotify albeit with probably a lower value deal as the platform looks to make cuts to minimize its losses.
Or, he could go to X (formerly Twitter), owned by his friend Elon Musk. However, the platform does not directly pay its creators and gives monetization opportunities similar to YouTube. Or, he could choose to go with the video streaming platform Rumble. However, it too has a similar business model as YouTube. What do you think Rogan should do after his current Spotify deal expires? Let us know in the comments section below.
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