Rogers: The US star the NRL must bring to Vegas

NRL great Mat Rogers has called on the NRL to get UFC CEO Dana White to attend the Las Vegas season opener, believing his appearance would attract national attention to the event.

Dana White is one of America’s most prominent sporting figures, with an estimated net worth of over $600 million and 11 million followers on Instagram.

With Vegas serving as the global home of the UFC, attracting White to the NRL season opener would provide a major cut through in America’s saturated sporting market.

The NRL attempted to bring White to last year’s opener, likely to blow the viking horn before the Raiders and Warriors clash, to no avail.

With the third edition of the season opener happening this Sunday, and the NRL still locked in in Vegas for two more years, Rogers wants to see White at next year’s event to take the game to the next level.

“I'd just like to see more traction from the local market,” Rogers told SEN Sportsday.

“I really still can't believe why we… wouldn't just throw the book at Dana White and say ‘what do we need for you to promote us in your town’?

“We're here for a weekend. Here's 2 million bucks, do a dozen posts and here's the scripts, come out to the game.

“They've got all this money, if they're trying to get attention in the town of Las Vegas, he's the man in Vegas.

“It's funny because I heard (Andrew) Voss earlier saying get The Rock (Dwayne Johnson)., Pay him money and get him in, even if he doesn't stay for the game.

“No… Vegas promotion is Dana White.

“If it was back in the day, it would be Don King.

“Get that guy, put an NRL jersey on him and get him talking down the camera, and get him putting it on his own social media so that people who follow him see what's going on in the town.

“They're trying to get attraction in the US. It's not just about taking people over there, surely, it's about growing the game there, isn't it?”

The NRL is no stranger to trying to get big-name guests to attend the Vegas opener, including Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman in the first year, and Donald Trump last year.

Las Vegas Raiders player Tyler Manoa blew the viking horn at last year’s game, but was tasered and ejected from the stadium for alleged property damage in a bathroom.

Former Raiders’ great Jarrod Croker agreed with Rogers that the NRL needed to attract a genuine American star to the event, pointing to the collaboration the Canberra did with the UFC and Las Vegas Raiders in 2025.

“We trained at the UFC headquarters last year… they absolute love (UFC),” Croker said.

“We had lunch in their cafeteria… the boys met a few of them… I don't know why they don't collaborate on that.

“The Raiders did a really good job last year and we were lucky to collaborate with the Las Vegas Raiders.

“It just worked out perfectly for us, but they were great, they came and blew the Viking horn… that was more Canberra based, but I feel like the NRL can just reach out.

“We mentioned the Dragons going, why wouldn't you have the Volk (Alexander Volkanovski) promoting something over there?”