Joe Rogan is once again publicly criticizing the UFC’s controversial White House event on June 14, and this time, he seemed even more dissatisfied with the outside setup than before.

During a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience where he was joined by former UFC fighter Josh Thomson and veteran referee John McCarthy, the longtime 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,” Rogan said on the JRE MMA Show. “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.”

While it’s true, temperatures in June in Washington, DC can easily go up to low 90s °F on average, with temperatures last year reaching 98°F, the humidity presents an even bigger risk of dehydrating fighters. The 58-year-old specifically pointed to dehydration risks, unpredictable temperatures, and the possibility of bugs swarming the massive production lights during fights as the bigger area of concern.

“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!”

The staging and infrastructure for UFC Freedom 250 is projected to cost upwards of $60 million, with all production, build, and property restoration costs fully funded by the UFC and its parent company, TKO Group Holdings. Since the cost of building massive steel beams, major support structures, bleachers, and a towering 90-foot arch called the ‘claw’ is already raising the cost of the event to gargantuan proportions, the idea of putting in an arena on the South Lawn appears to be more sarcasm than a genuine suggestion.

However, this isn’t the first time Joe Rogan has gone after the idea of having the event altogether. 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. Now, as the event gets closer, Rogan appears even more concerned.

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

Following a recent 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 criticism

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 Donald Trump was recently asked about Joe Rogan calling the upcoming UFC White House card a “gimmick” and a “nightmare.”

After listening to the pointed criticism Joe Rogan made in March, many expected a harsh response from the POTUS, 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, makes the UFC Freedom 250, for him, 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.