TheQuartering [3/3/2022]
Joe Rogan is back.
The comedian and veteran color commentator will return to the broadcast booth for UFC 272 on Saturday after he missed UFC 271 in February following a string of controversies on his popular Spotify podcast.
“Yeah, he’ll be here,” UFC president Dana White told Barstool Sports on Wednesday. “[Rogan is] on this week, [Daniel] Cormier’s off.”
Sadly, Cormier will miss the event following the death of his mother, as the former two-division UFC champion announced earlier this week.
Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping will serve as the third man in the commentary booth alongside play-by-play man Jon Anik.
As for Rogan, he will call fights for the first time since he faced scrutiny after a compilation video went viral that featured him using racial slurs several times over the years.
Rogan issued an apology and called the incident the “most regretful and shameful” moment in his entire career. He also requested numerous episodes of his podcast be removed from Spotify following the incident.
He was then scheduled to call the fights at UFC 271 until plans changed mid-week, with the UFC stating that Rogan had a “scheduling conflict” that prevented him from appearing at the event. White subsequently refuted any claims of a scheduling conflict as “total bullsh*t.”
Chants of “Free Joe Rogan” actually broke out during the event held in Houston.
UFC 272 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with the main card airing on ESPN+ pay-per-view.