"I don't want to take anyone's job" - Michael Bisping on potentially replacing Joe Rogan at the commentary desk
Rogan was replaced by Bisping for UFC 271 on February 12th. A few MMA fans criticized 'The Count’ for his commentary work. They accused him of showing favoritism towards UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya during the event's headliner.
During a Q&A session on his YouTube channel, Bisping was asked whether he’ll continue commentating at pay-per-view events. He responded by stating:
“Well, considering all the backlash from all the motherf**kers out there, probably not. They’re probably like, ‘Whoa, we gave him a try. He was f**king awful. He was biased.’ Nah. I don’t know. We’ll see. We’ll see because I was only filling in for Joe Rogan; so, probably not. Joe will more than likely be back on the next one. So, therefore, I will not. I don’t wanna take anyone’s job. And you know what? I like enjoying the pay-per-views as a fan. Now, don’t get me wrong. The best seat in the house is literally right there, working the shows.”
'The Count’ jestingly advised those lobbying for a UFC commentary job to wait for their turn. He also praised the current UFC. He also praised the current UFC pay per-view team of Rogan, Daniel Cormier, and Jon Anik.
“If nobody can make it and they need somebody to fill in, I would be absolutely over the moon to do so. But I don’t want to take anyone’s job.”
Watch Bisping's Q&A session in the video below:
Dana White on Joe Rogan’s absence at UFC 271
Rogan was recently accused of spreading misinformation regarding the COVID-19 vaccine on his JRE (Joe Rogan Experience) podcast. Rogan, on his part, has refuted these claims.
Additionally, singer India Arie released a video compilation of Rogan using a racial slur. Rogan clarified that the video comprised out-of-context clips but issued an apology nonetheless.
Furthermore, Rogan was set to commentate at UFC 271. Nevertheless, he was replaced by Bisping just hours before the event got underway, citing a ’scheduling conflict'. Many believe that Rogan’s recent troubles in the socio-political realm likely caused him to miss UFC 271.
Intriguingly, at the UFC 271 post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White confirmed that Rogan wasn’t removed from the broadcast by the organization. White said:
"No, there is no conflict of schedule. Joe Rogan did not work tonight. Rogan couldn't work tonight. I do not know what Joe Rogan had to do. You guys have to ask him…Whenever he's going to work again, he will be working.”