In some of the old clips of Conor McGregor, before his advent into the UFC, the Irishman has been seen claiming that fighting in the UFC was always his dream. As we all know, that turned out to be true, and ‘The Notorious’ became the hottest thing that MMA has ever seen. But did you know that Joe Rogan played a vital role in bringing him to Dana White‘s promotion? The longtime UFC color commentator recently revealed to have set up McGregor’s path more than a decade ago.

During a recent episode of the ‘Joe Rogan Experience’, American TV host Mike Rowe wanted to know if the podcast host only had a love for MMA or if he follows other sports. For Rogan, he’d sit for hours watching only fights for the fun of it, but as a part of Dana White’s promotion, he also felt like he had an ‘obligation’ to play as a fighter scout for the UFC. That’s how he got acquainted and had his first conversation with Conor McGregor in 2013.

“I do feel obligated to pay attention like there’s guys that are coming up in other organizations. I see guys have specific skill sets that are unique. Like, I contacted Conor McGregor in like 2013,” Joe Rogan stated on the #2235 JRE episode. “He was fighting in Cage Warriors, and I reached out. I said, ‘Dude, you’re f***ing super talented. I hope I get to see you in the UFC someday.”, Rogan further added.

Conor McGregor, much like in the UFC, caused havoc in Cage Warriors. He may have suffered his first loss in that promotion, but he did conquer the same two divisions that he did in the UFC and became a two-weight simultaneous champion before heading to the UFC. But it was after his Cage Warriors 51 fight that Joe Rogan shared a tweet congratulating him, and in return, he responded by thanking the color commentator.

The rising Irishman took kindly to this remark and expressed his appreciation for the UFC color commentator. He stated on X, “Thank you very much, Joe, that means a lot, you are a fucking legend, my friend!!” Just like Joe Rogan talked about Conor McGregor’s advent into the UFC, he also spoke about the supposed downfall of the Irishman not too long ago.

Joe Rogan highlights the moment when Conor McGregor “self-destructed”

Conor McGregor’s return has been an extremely doubtful proposition to predict, and now his legal issues may make it even more difficult to return to action. Meanwhile, Rogan suggested that McGregor was not the same as he was nearly 10 years ago. Even though he was earning millions in the UFC, the whole trajectory of his career changed when he got that boxing match against Floyd Mayweather, and the ‘Notorious wealth’ that came with that fight changed the Irishman forever.

“Conor self-destructed in a lot of ways because of money,” Joe Rogan stated on the JRE podcast. “He took that fight with Floyd Mayweather, made a ton of money off that, and then took a long time before he came back to MMA, and he’s just not been the same guy since.” Nevertheless, the 57-year-old did give McGregor his flowers, claiming that “in his prime, he was a f***ing assassin.”

Conor McGregor may have achieved a lot already, but he’s only 36 years old and could have a few more years in him to fight at the top level. But do you think he’ll be able to make his impending return in 2025? Drop your comments below.