The announcement of a multi-billion-dollar broadcast deal between the UFC and Paramount has brought up questions regarding prominent personnel.

Dana White announced the end of pay-per-view and a new home for the UFC on Monday, when he revealed that the promotion will be heading to the Paramount+ subscription service when their current deal with ESPN concludes.

The current contract with ESPN is set to expire at the end of 2025, after which every UFC Fight Night and numbered event will be available on Paramount+ for a current subscription fee of $8-$13. Select events will also be simulcast on CBS.

Since the news emerged, the MMA community has been abuzz with talk of the UFC’s new destination and questions about what the move will mean for the fighters. And one major member of the promotion’s staff has also now had his future as part of the deal addressed.

Dana White says Joe Rogan remains in the UFC’s plans for new broadcast deal

Joe Rogan debuted as an interviewer at UFC 12 in 1997 and commentated for the first time at UFC 37.5 in 2002. While he no longer attends every show like he once did, the renowned podcaster has remained ever-present at most domestic PPV events.

On Paramount and CBS, that looks set to continue, with White clarifying that nothing will be changing regarding Rogan’s involvement in the UFC during a recent appearance on Pardon My Take.

The UFC CEO hammered home Rogan’s love for MMA and even claimed that if he could, the 58-year-old would be back commentating over all cards.

“Everything is good for Joe Rogan,” White said. “Joe Rogan has no problems in life whatsoever. Joe Rogan was doing great before the deal; he’s going to do just fine after the deal.

“Listen, Joe Rogan isn’t here at the UFC because of the money. He did the first 12 events for free. Joe Rogan has a time problem; that’s the only thing Joe has.

“If Joe didn’t have a time problem, he’d even be doing the Fight Nights. S—, he’d be at the Contender Series!”

The same query was then brought up for lead play-by-play commentator Jon Anik. Like Rogan, White says Anik and every other member of the broadcast team won’t be going anywhere.

“Everything is staying the same as far as the team goes,” White clarified.

UFC legend Georges St-Pierre concerned about multi-billion-dollar Paramount deal

During the same interview, White insisted that the new broadcast deal is positive news for all parties, including the fighters, the fanbase, and the promotion. One UFC GOAT contender, though, is not so sure.

Speaking to Covers after the news broke, former two-division champion Georges St-Pierre reacted to the UFC-Paramount deal with skepticism, outlining why it could be “terrible” for the athletes.

“It could be good for the UFC as a promoter, but terrible for the fighters because when I was competing, I was able to have a great argument to negotiate on my contract,” St-Pierre said.

“I could tell the UFC, ‘Hey, if you want me to do all of the promotion, I want to become a business partner. I want a piece of the pie to negotiate a part of the pay-per-view revenue. Because if I’m doing all the promotion, I’m helping you but you need to help me. You need to make me a partner.’

“So it might be a bad thing for the fighters in a way that they have less leverage,” St-Pierre added.

White has confirmed a UFC bonus increase, but it remains to be seen whether the lucrative deal will lead to a long-awaited increase in revenue-sharing with the roster. While 49-51 percent of NFL revenue is split with the athletes, fighters in the UFC currently collect less than 20 percent.