Popular podcaster and UFC announcer Joe Rogan has cast doubt on President Donald Trump’s planned cage fight on the South Lawn of the White House for June 14 next year, warning it could be a disaster.
“What kind of security measures are they going to take for this?” the host asked on the latest episode The Joe Rogan Experience on Spotify.
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“Must be crazy,” replied his guest, mixed martial arts fighter Brendan Allen. “Like you said, I can’t imagine how much goes on in security, behind the scenes, in the end.”
Joe Rogan doubts the outcome of UFC event at White House in June 2026 during interview with MMA fighter Brendan Allen podcast (The Joe Rogan Experience)
“There’s also a lot of weird pressure,” Rogan continued. “Because it’s like all the safety and protocols, all the extra stuff in your head before you have to go out and fight.”
He also expressed concerns about the staging of the event and possible weather conditions, which could cause problems for fighters inside the Octagon.
“What if it’s hot and muggy?” Rogan asked, and Allen noted that he had attended outdoor boxing matches in Louisiana and seen fighters “slip” in the arena due to the humidity.
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The moderator concluded the discussion by saying, “So, who knows what’s going to happen. I guess they might need to have some kind of roof. But what if it gets to 98 degrees outside? It’s going to be hot in Washington. It’s going to be hot in the summer.”
independent The White House has been contacted for comment.
Rogan is credited with playing a key role in last year’s presidential election by inviting Trump to his show and endorsing him.
This allows the Republican candidate to reach a younger male audience. Still, he has become increasingly critical of late, calling the president’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants “truly crazy” and recently mocking him for texting like a “79-year-old kid.”
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Trump, always a showman, recently touted the upcoming UFC fight to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States and his own 80th birthday when speaking at the Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday, saying it would be one of the “biggest fights they’ve ever had.”
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attended the 48th annual Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday, with the former providing more details about next year’s brawl (AP)
“They’re building an arena, the great Dana White is building an arena,” he said. “They’re going to have eight or nine title fights, which are the biggest fights they’ve ever had. Every one of them is a title fight and everybody’s a legendary boxer.
“I think the arena will be 5,000 or 6,000 seats, right in front of the front door of the White House, with 100,000 people in the back, and they’ll have eight to 10 very large screens in there. It’ll be an exciting night.”
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Trump first focused on the event in July when he gave a speech at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.
Details are scant, but the weigh-in is expected to take place in front of the Lincoln Memorial, and UFC CEO White, a longtime friend of Trump, said the screens would be installed in a nearby park to broadcast the fight to an audience of 85,000.
He also told sports business magazine In October, his company will pay $700,000 to repair the South Lawn after the event.
There’s no word yet on who will take part, but a number of fighters have signed up, including former champions Conor McGregor and Jon Jones.
Former UFC champion Conor McGregor spoke in the White House Briefing Room on March 17 this year (EPA)
However, White has been tight-lipped about McGregor’s involvement and suggested he can’t trust Jones.
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McGregor has not competed since suffering a broken leg in 2021 and is currently serving an anti-doping ban due to his unknown whereabouts, which is due to end in March. The Irishman has had his own legal troubles since then, but St. Patrick’s Day is also taking place at the White House this year, suggesting he may be involved.
Jones, meanwhile, is considered by many fans to be the greatest MMA fighter of all time, but multiple failed drug tests and legal issues have damaged the American’s career.
The 38-year-old retired this summer, ultimately relinquishing the heavyweight title, but has since said he would love to fight in the White House.