Joe Rogan pushed back hard against critics of the UFC Freedom 250 event held at the White House, calling the political backlash misguided and telling detractors to stop trying to turn a fight night into a partisan statement.
Rogan made the comments during Wednesday's episode of his podcast, speaking with author Chase Hughes. According to Fox News, the event took place on the South Lawn of the White House as President Donald Trump marked his 80th birthday in the lead-up to America's 250th anniversary. An estimated 4,300 people attended, including about 1,200 active-duty service members. Roughly 85,000 more watched on massive screens just outside the venue, Rogan claimed.
The $60 million event opened with the Marine Band performing the national anthem, sung by country star Zac Brown, and closed with a flyover by the Navy's Blue Angels and Air Force Thunderbirds.
Rogan did not hold back when describing what he witnessed. "It was insane. Just the magnitude of it was insane," he said. He went on to say that despite being a hyperbolic person by nature, "That was the wildest experience that I've ever had in my 20 whatever years of calling combat sports. There's nothing even close. Nothing even close. It was the greatest night of fights of all time. And it was the only night in the history of the sport where every single fight ended by knockout."
Rogan said he personally convinced people to attend who had been reluctant. He recalled telling comedian Shane Gillis, "Bro, you got to go. It's going to be epic. It's going to be a once ever thing. Not a once in a lifetime. Once in anybody's lifetime. It's never happened before. It's probably never going to happen again."
Hughes responded, "Probably not," and Rogan replied, "No. But that's something you have to see and experience."
Rogan then turned to the criticism the event has received. He said he lamented that "so many people are trying to make it a partisan thing. Like they're mad at people for being there. Like, 'Oh, you support Trump.' Like, it's a f---ing fight at the White House. Doesn't mean you endorse foreign policy. Like, shut the f--- up. Just please. Just please stop."
He also pushed back on supporters who framed the event in political terms. "And again, it's this thing, the ego thing where people are just — they just want so badly — and on both sides for sure," Rogan said. "You know, the right celebrates this as a win for masculinity and patriotism and all these different things. Like, okay, settle down. Everybody settle down. You should all be together."
The event featured 14 fighters from around the world competing inside a wire-mesh cage. The crowd greeted Trump with loud cheers throughout the night, with occasional shouts of "Happy Birthday" from attendees.
