Dana White has confirmed he won’t be moving forward with Joe Rogan’s proposal to address weight-cutting issues in the UFC.
Even as the sport’s top promotion, the UFC still has its share of criticism. Issues like fighter pay and matchmaking regularly come up among fans who think there are areas that could use improvement.
One thing Rogan has been consistent about is his desire to tackle extreme weight cuts, a part of the sport he’s openly called “the worst thing.”
Joe Rogan’s suggestion for more UFC weight classes not on Dana White’s agenda
Weight-cutting has been a major talking point in MMA for years, and the start of 2026 was no exception.
The issue came up again at UFC 324 when Cameron Smotherman collapsed during weigh-ins. After making weight, the bantamweight fell face-first onto the stage, highlighting ongoing concerns around the practice.
Rogan, who has long spoken out against extreme weight cuts, shared his thoughts on how to address it not long after.
“I think for MMA, they really need to recognize this that one of the things that’s going to stop weight cuts is give people more weight classes, give people more options,” he said on The Joe Rogan Experience.
But Dana White isn’t planning to make any changes on that front.
Speaking after UFC London over the weekend, White was clear when asked if he would ever consider expanding beyond the current 11 divisions.
“No. They’re going to stay exactly the same,” he replied.
Joe Rogan’s other rejected idea
Rogan has had more than one suggestion knocked back by White.
In addition to his roles as a commentator and podcaster, Rogan is also a fan of the sport, especially kickboxing. He has even suggested that White should get involved in promoting it.
White, who also oversees Power Slap and Zuffa Boxing, hasn’t shown much interest in the idea. He discussed this during an appearance on the Spinnin Backfist MMA Show earlier in the year.
“Joe Rogan has been all over me about this,” said White. “He even hit me up when I was on vacation saying, ‘Dana, you gotta do this, you gotta do this.’
“Let me see how boxing goes. I have never been a believer in kickboxing. I used to watch it back in the 80s. It was supposed to be the big thing, but it just never worked.
“Even when you had what was going on out in the Netherlands, all those big names at that time, it still didn’t – if Pride didn’t exist, all those guys would have never made the money they made.
“I like watching it,” he said. “Just as far as promoting it and selling it — in my opinion — is very hard to do.”
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