Mike Rowe opens up on how Dana White persuaded him to accept UFC narrator role on Joe Rogan's podcast: "Say something"

Were it not for Dana White's encouragement, Mike Rowe may have never become the UFC's official narrator. He himself said as much on episode #2235 of The Joe Rogan Experience, detailing the UFC CEO's role in his eventual undertaking of the aforemention role.

The situation occurred back in 2004, a year before 'The Ultimate Fighter' reality TV series hit the air. At the time, Rowe had already cultivated a following due to previous narrator work on shows like 'Dirty Jobs,' 'Deadliest Catch,' and 'American Chopper,' and it was a chance encounter with White that led to him finding MMA.

"So, in 2004, 'Dirty Jobs' was on the air. It was in that weird space where we didn't know if it was going to be a hit or what. But I was narrating all kinds of stuff for this guy Craig Piligian and I walked into Craig's office in Hollywood and Dana [White] was sitting in there at the time."

While Rowe was unfamiliar with White, the UFC CEO knew of him, and it took hardly any time for him to be offered a job as 'The Ultimate Fighter' narrator.

"I had no idea who he was. I just walked in to say, 'Hi' and Dana kind of knew me or recognized me, and Craig said, 'Hey, this guy Mike, he's narrating American Chopper, American Hot Rod.' He just goes down the list and Dana says, 'Say something,' and I said, 'Previously on The Ultimate Fighter,' and he said, 'Fine, you'll be great.' I did 10 seasons."

Check out Mike Rowe telling Joe Rogan about his first time meeting Dana White (2:09:04):

Following their chance encounter, Rowe went on to narrate 10 seasons of 'TUF' before pursuing other ventures.

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Dana White has been a fixture in the UFC since 2001

In 2001, the UFC was put up for sale by its original owners, and upon Dana White's urging, the Fertitta brothers purchased the promotion for as little as $2 million. Moreover, White was quickly given the role of company president. Unfortunately, the company itself was of little value at the time.

They received the brand name and an octagon, but every other asset had been stripped by its original owners to avoid bankruptcy. Fortunately, White and Fertitta ultimately steered the UFC toward more successful waves. Now, in 2024, with White the only remaining member of the top brass, it is worth billions of dollars.