“Did more for the UFC than any promoter” - Rare video of Joe Rogan explaining the UFC to Conan O'Brien in 1998 goes viral, and fans are loving it

An old clip of Joe Rogan on the Conan O'Brien show back in 1998 has just resurfaced, and fans cannot get enough of it.

In the video, a young Rogan was asked by O'Brien about a new sport and rising company: the UFC. He summed up to the host and the audience what MMA was, which was an unknown world to most people at the time.

When asked by O'Brien to explain MMA, Joe Rogan said:

"What Ultimate Fighting is, it's an octagon... they're great athletes. They have Olympic gold medalists and world jiu-jitsu champions and boxers. It's all just a combination of martial arts."

O'Brien also asked if Rogan was a fighter within the UFC, to which the later replied:

"No, I just interview the fighters... I was, you know, at one point in time [a fighter]. Now I'm just a participant."

Fans who saw the clip enjoyed both the reaction of O'Brien learning about the sport and seeing how far MMA has evolved in 30 years. O'Brien made a joke on the show, claiming that the UFC 'lost respect' due to fights being in a cage, displaying the public's image of fighting at the time.

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Did Joe Rogan ever fight in the UFC?

Conan O'Brien's decision to ask Joe Rogan if he was a UFC fighter has been a popular question amongst the general public for many years. However, despite Rogan's expertise and passion for the sport, he has never officially competed in MMA.

Previously known as the host of 'Fear Factor,' Rogan's podcast 'The Joe Rogan Experience' is amongst the most successful of all time. He is also a black belt in both Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Tae Kwon Do.

A long-time associate of the UFC, Rogan began his career as an analyst before shifting to color commentary alongside Mike Goldberg. Rogan still works UFC events to this day, typically with Jon Anik and Daniel Cormier.