Israel Adesanya issued a passionate defence of Joe Rogan during the UFC 271 pre-fight press conference.
The UFC commentator and popular podcaster has found himself in hot water as of late for a couple of different reasons.
Rogan first faced backlash for spreading what many believe to be COVID-19 misinformation on his show.
More recently, Rogan was forced to apologize after a compilation of him using a racial slur appeared online.
The 54-year-old has found allies in UFC fighters of all races during his recent turmoil. ‘Stylebender’ is the latest high-profile MMA figure to speak out in defence of the UFC icon.
“Let me take this one, I’m black, I can take this one,” Adesanya said. “Look, 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*ckrs I’ve had the pleasure of working with.
“Understand that. And you know, 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*gga Joe Rogan. F*ck the noise. Keep doing you, Joe. Have some mushrooms.” (Transcribed by MMA Mania)
Israel Adesanya Will See Joe Rogan Continue To Work With Spotify
Spotify has faced intense pressure as of late to cut ties with Rogan but the streaming giant refuses to do so. Its CEO Daniel EK recently told his employees that despite being appalled by Rogan’s past use of racial slurs, he won’t be cutting ties with the most successful podcaster on Earth.
“While I strongly condemn what Joe has said and I agree with his decision to remove past episodes from our platform, I realize some will want more,” Ek said. “And I want to make one point very clear – I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer.”
“We should have clear lines around content and take action when they are crossed, but canceling voices is a slippery slope. Looking at the issue more broadly, it’s critical thinking and open debate that powers real and necessary progress,” Ek wrote. He said he was “deeply sorry” for the impact the controversy was having on Spotify’s workforce.
Do you stand with Israel Adesanya on the Joe Rogan debacle?