Joe Rogan backtracks on ‘fake rumour’ about UFC champion Jon Jones
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The UFC’s president ‘contacted’ Rogan and ‘said that rumour is bulls***, so I felt obligated to tell everybody’. Joe Rogan has said he accidentally spread a “fake rumour” about Jon Jones and the heavyweight champion’s negotiations with the UFC.
![[UFC commentator Joe Rogan, now chiefly a podcaster, with Jon Jones (right) in 2017]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/09/16/newFile.jpg)
Jones is reportedly in talks with the UFC over a title defence against Britain’s Tom Aspinall, who holds the interim heavyweight belt. However, the American previously said he would rather retire or face a different opponent than fight Aspinall. That would deny Aspinall the usual opportunity presented to an interim champion: challenging the regular title holder to unify the belts. As a result, many fans have accused Jones, 37, of “ducking” Aspinall, 31.
But addressing negotiations between Jones and the UFC, Rogan said on a recent episode of his podcast: “The rumour is that [Jones] wants $30m, and the UFC is gotta pay it hopefully.”. Now Rogan, one of the most influential podcasters in the world but originally – and still occasionally – a UFC commentator, has backtracked on that claim.
“But that’s not true. Dana [White, UFC president] contacted me and said that rumour is bulls***, so I felt obligated to tell everybody: that was a fake rumour [...] We did that podcast two weeks ago. I don’t remember who told me that.”. Rogan continued: “Apparently Jon is thinking about retiring. He should think about it. Give the man all the time he wants. He can fight whenever he wants to fight. That’s Jon Jones, he’s the GOAT [greatest of all time].
