The past couple of weeks have seen UFC color commentator and podcast host Joe Rogan under fire from multiple sides.
First, it was a coalition of doctors and other medical professionals demanding Rogan be deplatformed from Spotify, because of a handful of controversial guests including fringe scientists with beliefs regarding COVID that run contrary to the accepted science. Next, there was the circulation of a mash-up of old clips — without context, but still unsightly — involving Rogan using the N-word. Which led to accusations of racism, and further calls for Spotify to remove Rogan.
During Thursday’s UFC 271 pre-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White was asked to comment on the controversy, but middleweight champion Israel Adesanya opted to answer the question instead.
“There’s a lot of c*nts 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, most humble motherf*ckers I’ve had the pleasure of working with. Understand that,” Adesanya said in defense of Rogan, now recognized as one of the world’s most influential media figures. “F*ck the noise, man, you know what they’re trying to do. You can’t control the man, and he’s got the biggest platform in the world right now. So that’s my n*gger Joe Rogan, f*ck the noise.”
“Just keep doing you, Joe. Have some mushrooms. Keep doing you.”
Adesanya has never been one to avoid tackling subjects head on. Any more than he shies away from fights. And the middleweight champ knows that, come UFC 271, he has a mental edge over Robert Whittaker, after defeating “The Repear” for the title in 2019.
“After beating them, you’re in their head,” Adesanya noted. “I was already there anyway, but you’re already in their head once you’ve beat them the way— the way I did last time, you can’t get over that.”
“I still have properties in there, rent free,” he later put it.
Adesanya believes his old foe has improved, mind you. Put the work in. He went as far as calling Whittaker a beast— but it’s clear “The Last Stylebender” doesn’t believe it will be enough. “I’m a different beast, but the same animal.”
Of course, Adesanya won’t be the only City Kickboxing fighter in action on Saturday. Carlos Ulberg and Blood Diamond (Mike Mathetha) will be in action as well, the latter making his promotional debut.
“That’s my guy, Blood Diamond,” Adesanya told Cageside Press. “I implore you guys, don’t wait til the main card. Go to the first fight of the night and watch my teammate Blood Diamond do work. Because me and him have been through so much together. We’ve been to China, we’ve been all around the world.”
Saturday night, they’ll land in Texas, where everything is bigger — and hope for their biggest night yet.
