Joe Rogan has been associated with the UFC for almost three decades now. During the course of his tenure in the promotion, the 58-year-old has also developed friendly relations with the fighters, both past and present. One among them is former welterweight champion Matt Serra, who recounted the time when the seeds of his friendship with Rogan were first planted. That happened when Joe Rogan wasn’t really a permanent fixture in the UFC.

Yes, Joe Rogan started out in the UFC as a backstage interviewer in 1997, and a few years later, Rogan would gain fame as the host of the reality show Fear Factor. As he grew to prominence on TV, the 58-year-old happened to be one of the celebrities in the crowd when Matt Serra defeated Kelly Dullanty. Rogan was impressed, as his comments about the UFC legend’s performance moved Serra.

“[During the interview] he was going, ‘Yo, we need more of that in here. We need more of that Matt Serra jungle jiu-jitsu’… And I was, you know, I’m flattered,” Matt Serra stated on his YouTube channel. To return the favor to Joe Rogan for praising his performance, the welterweight legend decided to send a gift to Joe Rogan in the form of a T-shirt from his first academy. Serra wasn’t expecting the UFC commentator to express his gratitude, but Rogan did exactly that, and that’s how they developed an everlasting bond.

“So, I went up to him with [Ray] Longo there after the event… said thank you, took a picture. And then, there was a girl I was friends with that was helping me out with the academy at the time… And I’m like, you know, ‘We should send something out to him,'” the 51-year-old added. “We sent him a Serra BJJ shirt… So then, all of a sudden… He called the academy, Joe, and he thanked me for the T-shirt, and that’s how we became friends.”

Well, Joe Rogan is known to make heartfelt gestures to the legends of the sport every now and then. One of the most recent ones happened with yet another former UFC champion, who was able to attend a UFC event because of the 58-year-old.

Joe Rogan helped a legend witness UFC 306 live

UFC 306 was Dana White and Co.’s biggest undertaking, as it took place inside the Las Vegas Sphere. The $2.3 billion venue stood out during the entire event, and it was understandable that fans wanted to watch the PPV live inside the venue. The UFC CEO has asserted that this event was a one-and-done project for his promotion, so it was now or never. Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson also wanted to watch the show, but was finding it hard to get tickets. That’s when Joe Rogan stepped in.

Well, people weren’t aware of it, but Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson revealed that Joe Rogan helped him when the latter shared a post on Instagram from inside the Las Vegas Sphere. The UFC legend took to the comments section and mentioned that Rogan provided him with tickets. And guess what? The seats weren’t cheap either. “Thanks again for the tickets fambo. Great seats.”

Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson used to have a beef with Joe Rogan, but that subsided when the duo made up. Similarly, the commentator has maintained cordial relationships with almost every legend who competed in the UFC. So, let us know what you think about Matt Serra’s story regarding Rogan.