Fact Check: Is Joe Rogan's claim that 150 million people watched White House UFC fight correct?

WASHINGTON, DC: The viewership of the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House has sparked widespread debate online, with many social media users comparing its audience numbers to those of the Super Bowl.

The discussion intensified after UFC color commentator Joe Rogan claimed that the event attracted 150 million viewers, a figure later echoed by Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Joe Gruters.

As the claim continues to circulate across social media, a closer look at the available viewership data can help determine whether it stands up to scrutiny.

Claim: 150 million people watched UFC Freedom 250

UFC Freedom 250 took place on the South Lawn of the White House on Sunday, June 14. President Donald Trump attended the event along with first lady Melania Trump and UFC CEO Dana White. Paramount+ streamed the fight card live as part of its multi-billion-dollar broadcasting agreement with the UFC.

Following the event, Rogan claimed on his podcast that the event attracted an exceptionally large audience.

“I don’t know what the total overall views are as of now,” he said. “But I know that it was well over, I think it was 150 million just by Monday [June 15]."

“So that’s the night of and then people that watched the replay that weren’t there when the fight took place because they heard about it. Like, it’s probably another 50 or 60 million people who have watched it,” the UFC color commentator added.

RNC chair Gruters also supported the claim during an appearance on Fox News, where he compared the event’s audience to that of the Super Bowl.

“I think more people watched [UFC Freedom 250] than watched the Super Bowl,” Gruters told Fox News on Wednesday.

Fact Check: False, available viewership data does not support the claim

The available viewership data does not support the claim that 150 million people watched UFC Freedom 250.

According to Nielsen streaming figures reported by Awful Announcing, the event averaged about 7 million viewers in the United States. Paramount+ said the broadcast became the largest exclusive livestream in the platform’s history.

The event also attracted an additional 1.2 million viewers across Latin America. Paramount+ later reported that nearly 17 million people watched at least one minute of the event across its coverage areas. While these figures reflect a strong audience for the White House fight card, they fall well short of the 150 million viewers claimed by Rogan.