Joe Rogan has confirmed that he will not be attending UFC 315 in Canada, where Belal Muhammad is set to defend his welterweight title against Jack Della Maddalena
Joe Rogan does not want to go to Canada (Image: (Image: Getty Images))
Joe Rogan has given the UFC a heads-up that he’s skipping their next event in Canada, expressing he would rather travel to Russia. The UFC’s forthcoming bout is expected to cause some heat after the 4 Nations ice hockey clash.
Rogan’s been openly critical about Canada’s ex-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and hasn’t held back from blasting his successor Mark Carney either. But despite that, he’s not on board with Donald Trump’s idea of making Canada the 51st state, slamming the concept as ‘crazy’.
The UFC commentator and podcast host was quizzed about his plans for UFC 315, where welterweight champion Belal Muhammad is scheduled to defend his title against Jack Della Maddalena.
Inquiring minds on his podcast got a straight answer when they asked if he’d cover the UFC affair: Rogan said, “I won’t be there. I don’t go to Canada anymore. I don’t. I’d rather go to Russia.”
Rogan didn’t spell out his reasons for avoiding Canada but his recent strong words against the country’s new Prime Minister Carney could be a hint; dissing Carney, Rogan remarked, “They got a new guy, who’s just as bad.”
During the US elections, Rogan did an about-turn – supporting Trump, inviting him over for a podcast interview, then throwing his endorsement behind the former President. This support is thought to have tipped the scales with voters against Kamala Harris. While Rogan was present at Trump’s inauguration and praised him for months, he wasn’t down with Trump’s notion of Canada joining the US as the 51st state.
On his show discussing the tension between the US and Canada, he remarked: “We got to become friends with Canada again. We have to, like, you know, this is so ridiculous. I can’t believe that there’s like anti-American and anti-Canadian sentiment going on.
“It’s the dumbest ——- thing there is. There’s a lot of idiots that think, ‘They are our f—— enemy. Why are we subsidizing Canada? How come they don’t have their own military?’ Well, they don’t, so let’s just deal with it as it is.
“I don’t know what is happening with their politics, but I just want America and Canada to get along. I think it’s ridiculous. And I don’t really think they should be our 51st state.”
While Rogan has mentioned that he wouldn’t travel to Canada, his role with the UFC makes the prospect even less likely.
Rogan limits his coverage to events within the US due to his other professional obligations. He made it clear during his program: “I’m too ——- busy. I don’t know if I’m doing myself or all the other things I do a disservice. I had a conversation with Dana [White], we had a bunch of conversations. What I decided to do was no more international travel. No more flying across the planet.”
