WWE's The Rock Reportedly Turned Down Request To Attend UFC Event

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson hasn't shied away from voicing his love for mixed martial arts over the years, but when UFC Freedom 250 was presented from the White House this past June, he was not in attendance. Johnson is often unable to show up to certain events due to film commitments, but according to Dave Meltzer in a recent edition of the "Wrestling Observer Radio," The Rock was not only invited to the White House that night, but declined the offer to attend.

"Dwayne's been to several shows but not lately. When I was going all the time, Dwayne was going not all the time but fairly often ... he's a real fan, I don't know if he is now," he stated. "He did turn down the last show. I mean, they wanted him there but he didn't go."

This past weekend, the live-action version of Moana hit theatres, with Johnson playing the role of Maui, who he voiced in the animated edition of the film in 2016. However, unlike the original, the live-action adaptation is currently not performing well at the box office, with the movie barely making $40 million domestically, leading Meltzer to question Johnson's stardom, especially since he's considering another career opportunity.

"The current movie did so poorly box office wise even though he did it for other reasons more than just box office ... it feels like his star his weighing in some ways," Meltzer claimed. "He wants to go on broadway so that's the new thing."

UFC 329 also took place this past weekend, and despite the card featuring the highly anticipated match between Conor McGregor and Max Holloway, Johnson did not attend the event. That said, McGregor versus Holloway would only last over a minute, with the fight ending early after the Irish star injured his knee. 

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Wrestling Observer Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.