Joe Rogan on UFC at the White House: “You shouldn’t fight for a world championship in a non-controlled environment”

Preparations continue on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington DC, which will host “UFC Freedom 250” on June 14, as part of the celebrations to commemorate 250 years of American Independence.

Along with Madison Square Garden and Las Vegas Sphere, the White House is one of the most unusual venues to stage a UFC event. Not everyone is convinced by the idea of hosting martial arts outdoors and in the summer heat.

“The White House thing is odd,” Joe Rogan said recently on his podcast. " I don’t like it. I don’t like the idea of fighting outside at all. And then, it’s June and it’s DC and we looked it up - the last time, like last year, same day was 100 degrees... That’s hot as f***“.

Heat and bugs

With a stage fully lit up, there will be other problems apart from heat - insects and other nighttime creepy crawlies.

“They were talking about maybe using fans. With bug strips everywhere, what are you gonna do? How are you gonna stop the bugs?” he continued. “I just don’t think you should compete in a world championship fight in a non-controlled environment. I think it should be inside an air-conditioned arena. It should be a controlled environment just like... you wouldn’t ask someone to play a world championship basketball outside in the sun. That would be crazy. You play in an air-conditioned arena and that’s how it should be. Build a roof - you’ve got all the money in the world, you wanna do this for America? 4,000 seats - build a 4,000-seat arena. Get a bardominium, put it in there”.

UFC Freedom 250 will be shown live on giants screens just over the road from the White House in Ellipse Park which can accommodate a crowd of around 85,000. It will also be aired live on Paramount+ starting at 8 p.m. EDT.

The forecast for Washington DC on Sunday 14 has highs of 89° with light, southeasterly winds. Like Rogan says, Topuria, Gaethje, Pereira and Co. will be in for a hot night.

Get closer to the game! Whether you like your soccer of the European variety or that on this side of the pond, our AS USA app has it all. Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more. Plus, stay updated on NFL, NBA and all other big sports stories as well as the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.

And there’s more: check out our TikTok and Instagram reels for bite-sized visual takes on all the biggest soccer news and insights.