Dana White threatened to resign when UFC considered firing Joe Rogan...

Dana White almost walked away from the UFC when he thought Joe Rogan would be axed.

In 2022, the UFC colour commentator came under fire when footage emerged of him using racial slurs in early episodes of his popular podcast 'The Joe Rogan Experience'.

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Rogan issued an apology for his language but also sought to defend himself, saying many of the clips had been taken out of context.

The UFC were prepared to part ways with Rogan over the controversy, however, White refused to let that happen under his watch and the then president threatened to resign if they cut his long-time friend.

Recalling the situation during a recent appearance on the LexFridman podcast, White said: "Anybody who is with me and has been with me, knows, when you’re with me, you’re with me.

"It’s a two-way street. It’s not a one-way street. I’m not one of these guys that is gonna roll over.

“It’s like going through COVID. I wasn’t laying [off] any of these people. Some of these people have been with me for 20 years.

"We’re gonna lay ‘em off? Uh uh. This motherf***er will burn, burn before I would do that to my people.

"It’s just never — none of that type of stuff is ever going to happen while I’m here.

"I can’t say what’s gonna happen when I leave, but when I’m here, the people who are with me and have been with me they know exactly what’s up, and Joe knows what’s up.

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"It’s a two-way street. Joe Rogan has been very loyal to me, and I am very loyal to Joe Rogan."

After Zuffa - backed by Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta - took over the UFC in 2001 and made White the face, Rogan attended some events and became friends with the newly appointed president, who offered him a job as a commentator.

“It’s a fact that he doesn’t care about money and he did the first 13 shows free for us," White continued.

"That was at a time when we were hurting and he was like, ‘Wait a minute. Do you want me to do the commentary? You’re saying I get to sit in the best seat in the house and watch these fights for free? Yeah, I’m in.’

"Then, obviously, when he turned things around, we made it up to Joe, but Joe is one of the things I loved early about [the UFC].”

Rogan has worked with the UFC for more than two decades. He got his start with the promotion as a backstage interviewer at the UFC 12: Judgement Day bill in Dothan, Alabama, in February 1997.

But he ended up quitting his role after two years as his salary could not cover the cost of travelling to the events, which were often held in out-of-the-way locations.

Even when White and the Fertitta brothers were in control, it looked the promotion would fail having struggled to get their fights on TV and sanctioned in some states.

Then one fight in 2005 changed everything and the company has not looked back since and it was sold for $4billion in 2016 and merged with the WWE in 2023 and White became CEO.

Rogan has remained a regular on UFC PPV events ever since.