Joe Rogan is once again publicly criticizing the UFC’s controversial White House event, and this time, he seemed even more dissatisfied with the outside setup than before.

During a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience with former UFC fighter Josh Thomson and veteran referee John McCarthy, the UFC commentator openly questioned why world championship-level fights are held outside in the middle of Washington, D.C.’s June heat.

“White House thing is odd,” he said on JRE MMA Show #179. “I don’t like it. I don’t like the idea of fighting outside at all.

“And then it’s June, and it’s DC, and we looked it up the last time, like last year, same day; it was 100 degrees.”

This is not the first time Joe Rogan has gone after the idea. Back in March, during his podcast with comedian Mark Normand, the longtime UFC commentator labeled the entire White House event as a “gimmick” and warned that weather, heat, rain, and security difficulties could easily create a nightmare scenario for fighters.

“Yeah, I’m not thrilled about that… I’ll be there, but I’m not thrilled about it; it doesn’t seem like a wise idea,” Rogan said. “Well, it’s kind of a gimmick, you know. And, you know, people are criticizing the card, but if it was any other card, it’s a great card. Just they’re criticizing it because they said it was gonna be the greatest card of all time.

“And it’s also just gonna be a security nightmare. You’re on the White House lawn. Also, they’re fighting outside. What if it rains? What if it’s hot? You’re in the middle of June. June in D.C. can get pretty warm. That affects fighters.”

Now, as the event gets closer, Rogan appears even more concerned. He specifically pointed to dehydration risks, unpredictable temperatures, and the possibility of bugs swarming the massive production lights during fights.

“They were talking about maybe using fans,” Rogan said. “What are you gonna do? Like how you’re gonna stop the bugs?”

For the JRE host, the biggest issue isn’t politics or spectacle, but the fact that fighters may end up competing for world titles in completely uncontrolled conditions.

“I just don’t think that you should compete in a world championship fight in a non-controlled environment,” he continued. “I think it should be inside an air-conditioned arena.

“It should be a controlled environment, just like every, like, you don’t ask someone to do any other, you wouldn’t ask them to play a world championship basketball game outside in the sun. That would be crazy. You have to play in a f——- air-conditioned arena, and that’s how it should be.”

At one point, Rogan even suggested the UFC simply build a roof over the entire setup if they are serious about making the event work.

“Listen, build a f—— roof,” he added. “Build a roof. Like, you’ve got all the money in the world, right? You’re doing this; you wanna do this for f—— America.

“It’s 4,000 seats? You build a 4,000-seat arena. How big is it? Get a f—— barndominium. Put it in there.”

Ironically, Joe Rogan’s criticism now feels far less exaggerated because Dana White has already admitted many of the same concerns privately worry him as well.

Following a dinner hosted by Donald Trump at the White House Rose Garden, Dana White revealed that the overwhelming number of gnats flying around the property forced him to contact UFC production staff to discuss potential solutions, such as giant industrial fans to keep insects away from fighters and cameras.

So, while UFC Freedom 250 may still be one of the wildest spectacles in combat sports history, even some of the people closest to the event seem unsure whether hosting title fights outside at the White House is actually a smart idea.

And the fact that Joe Rogan brought the issue back again to the forefront just a day after Donald Trump’s response to his previously raised complaints only makes things more interesting.

Donald Trump’s unexpectedly calm response to Joe Rogan’s previous UFC White House criticisms

People rarely expect Donald Trump to react calmly to criticism, especially when it involves one of his biggest public projects. But that’s exactly what happened after Joe Rogan called the upcoming UFC White House card a “gimmick” and questioned if putting championship fights outdoors was even a good idea.

After listening to the aforementioned criticisms Joe Rogan made in March, many expected a harsh response from the POTUS once the comments reached him, especially considering Donald Trump’s reputation for aggressively firing back at critics.

Instead, the president responded in a surprisingly relaxed and self-aware way during a TIME cover story centered around Dana White.

“At first I thought, ‘That’s not nice,’” Trump stated. “And then I realized it is a gimmick. Life is a gimmick, if you think about it, right? But it’s a good gimmick. It’s something that will never happen again.

“Nobody will ever have the privilege of doing something like this in front of the White House. It’s going to be very unique. It’s going to be amazing. I think it’s great for America, frankly.”

According to the president, its distinctiveness is precisely what makes UFC Freedom 250 special. And the fact that no one will ever again be able to host championship fights directly on the White House grounds, which is why he believes UFC Freedom 250 will be one of the most memorable spectacles in combat sports history.

So, he is fully leaning into the spectacle, while Joe Rogan too, despite the criticism, is still expected to be a part of the broadcast team when the event takes place in June. But before that, let’s see how the POTUS and Dana White react to his newer complaints and demands about the outdoor setting.