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UFC color commentator Joe Rogan was noticeably absent from his role as the announcer for the UFC 271 ceremonial weigh-in. And a little later, fans found out he won’t be a part of Saturday night’s broadcast team either.
Whenever Rogan works a pay-per-view event for the promotion, he’ll also announce names and weights of fighters during the ceremonial weigh-in, which takes place the Friday before.
However, he was nowhere to be seen at the Houston, Texas, event. Instead, play-by-play analyst Jon Anik worked the microphone. After the event, TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter reported that he spoke with a UFC official who confirmed Rogan has a “scheduling conflict” and will not be commentating during UFC 271. Instead, former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping will work alongside Anik and Daniel Cormier.
“Per a UFC official, Joe Rogan had a scheduling conflict this week and will not be on the call for UFC 271,” Bronsteter tweeted. “He is scheduled to do colour commentary for UFC 272 in March. Tomorrow’s broadcast booth will consist of Jon Anik, Daniel Cormier and Michael Bisping.”
The shift in the commentary team came in the midst of Rogan’s controversy with his podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience” (JRE). Rogan, who averages around 11 million listeners per episode, has been under fire as of late, with some calling for his removal from Spotify, the platform that holds exclusive streaming rights for Rogan’s podcast.
Most recently, a video went viral online that featured a montage of Rogan saying the n-word throughout the years on JRE. Rogan took to Instagram last week to apologize for saying the word.
Many Have Questioned Rogan’s ‘Scheduling Conflict’
Well, some members of the MMA community believe there’s a link between the criticism Rogan has been taking and the UFC 271 “scheduling conflict.” Some theorized that ESPN asked the UFC to remove Rogan from the broadcast, whereas some think Rogan stepped aside on his own terms.
One fan tweeted: “They do not wanna see a boycott outside the arena.”
Another wrote: “The timing is quite a coincidence for such a late notice ‘scheduling conflict’.
“The Mouse has roared. Disney just canceled him,” someone tweeted.
“Sure he did… I guess we know ufc’s position on it now,” another wrote.
Another Twitter user theorized: “Rogan taking one for the ufc. Espn definitely pulled him and he didn’t want to take away from the event.”
MMA reporter Ariel Helwani also posted a cryptic tweet of a woman carrying water:
Jake Paul also reacted to the news of Rogan missing UFC 271, writing: “So ESPN and Disney pull Joe Rogan from the UFC broadcast but stand behind Dana White who calls reporters douche bags, says a female fighter looks like a male fighter in dress and heels, and claims brain damage is part of the gig? You pulled the wrong guy Mr. Chapek.”
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UFC President Dana White & Rogan Have a Good Relationship
It’s important to note, UFC president Dana White has been vocal about his support of Rogan. Most recently, the UFC president sided with Rogan over his comments about COVID-19 treatments, something that has caused a large amount of controversy for the podcaster.
Rogan and White have worked with each other for years and have maintained a great relationship, with both speaking fondly of the other many times in the past.
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