Joe Rogan Reveals Why UFC Never Signed Heavyweight Legend

In the world of combat sports, the UFC is seen as the ultimate proving ground—but not every elite fighter ends up inside its Octagon. While the promotion has grown into a global juggernaut, bringing in stars from every corner of the globe, some legends remain outside its walls. Joe Rogan recently opened up about one such case that involved high stakes, tense negotiations, and some very dangerous people.

During a recent conversation with former UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria, Joe Rogan revealed why the UFC never signed MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko. According to Rogan, negotiations with Fedor’s team were anything but standard. ‘Fedor was controlled by some Russian people that were very rough men, gangster-type characters,’ Rogan said. ‘They had a bunch of negotiations with the UFC but there were very unreasonable demands... They wanted a piece of everything.’ Rogan even stated that things got so intense Dana White had to increase his personal security.