Israel Adesanya offers support to Joe Rogan amid racism claims
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has thrown his support behind under-fire commentator and podcaster Joe Rogan.
The man behind the “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast has been the target of significant criticism in recent weeks.
Several high-profile musicians including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell have taken their work off Spotify in protest at the streaming service’s continued hosting of Rogan’s podcast amid claims of misinformation around COVID-19.
Rogan then found himself at the centre of racism claims after a clip of him using the N-word more than 20 times on his podcast over the years went viral. In addition to his podcasting, the 54-year-old has also been a mainstay in commentary for the UFC for over two decades.
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UFC boss Dana White was asked about the ongoing Rogan situation at the pre-fight press conference ahead of UFC 271 in Houston this weekend, but Adesanya stepped in to answer the question.
“I’m black, I can take this one,” Adesanya said. “There’s a lot of c—s in this game, there’s a lot of snakes in this game. I’ve been in this fight game since 2008 and Joe Rogan is one of the nicest, coolest, humble motherf—–s I’ve had the pleasure of working with, understand that.
“F— the noise, you know what they’re trying to do and you can’t control the man and he’s got the biggest platform in the world right now. That’s my n—-, Joe Rogan, f— the noise. Keep doing you, Joe. Have some mushrooms, keep doing you.”
The emphatic response was met with loud cheers from many in attendance as well as applause from fellow fighters Robert Whittaker and Tai Tuivasa.
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Adesanya takes on Whittaker in the UFC 271 main event, a rematch of their 2019 title fight which the Nigerian-born Kiwi won by second-round knockout.
Rogan has been confirmed to call the event in Houston, Texas, alongside regular booth companions Jon Anik and Daniel Cormier.
Speaking on his podcast earlier this week, Rogan addressed the controversy surrounding himself.
“In a lot of ways, all this is a relief,” Rogan said. “Because that video had always been out there. Like this is a political hit job so they’re taking all this stuff that I’ve ever said that’s wrong and smushed it all together but it’s good because it makes me address some sh– that I really wish wasn’t out there.”
