Joe Rogan has been a major cog of the UFC machine since 1997, when he first joined the fledgling promotion as a backstage interviewer. He eventually made his way into the color commentary booth, and it is there he's stayed for almost two decades, working alongside play-by-play man Mike Goldberg to call nearly every major moment in the UFC's young history.
But there is a chance Rogan's run with the UFC comes to an end this summer.
The 48-year-old's broadcasting deal is slated to expire shortly after UFC 201, and Rogan admitted on Monday that he still isn't sure if he is going to return to the UFC on a new deal.
"I don't know. I honestly do not know," Rogan said on The MMA Hour. "I have a contract that's up in August and I haven't made up my mind. I vacillate daily."
There is one significant factor in play that could sway Rogan's decision.
Reports emerged earlier this month that UFC executives Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta are in heavy discussions to sell the UFC to a variety of suitors for a price tag ranging anywhere from $3.5 billion all the way to $4 billion.
Chinese developer The Dalian Wanda Group is the front-runner and a sale could be announced as soon as July, sources recently told MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani.
UFC president Dana White denied reports of an impending sale in several interviews over the past few weeks, although White did note that if the UFC was "in the middle of a deal right now, there's a lot of confidentiality involved in it."
For his part, Rogan said there is a "100-percent" chance he will leave the UFC in August if the Fertitta brothers decide to sell -- though Rogan also added that he has been given no indication if a sale is imminent.
"I don't know," Rogan said. "There are rumors, for sure, but I'm getting very vague responses. I don't know. I don't ask a lot, I'm going to be honest with you. I don't ask, because when I call them, they want me to do sh*t, and I just don't."
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