Joe Rogan won’t be making the trip to Sydney for one of the biggest fights of the year as the UFC hits the road.
The veteran voice of the octagon is one of the most recognisable parts of the UFC pay-per-view broadcast. But he opts to stay home for fight nights and numbered events that take place outside of the United States.
This means that Rogan will miss the rematch between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 312 on February 8. He does tend to provide fight night watch parties in the form of his Fight Companion podcast with close friends including Brendan Schaub.
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Michael Bisping explains why Joe Rogan skips international UFC events
During an appearance on Rampage Jackson’s Jaxxon Podcast with media mogul Bear Degidio and his former rival Luke Rockhold, Michael Bisping explained the dynamic of his role. He noted that Joe Rogan only does US PPV shows, and when they go international it is kicked down to him and the ‘B-Team’.
When Jackson asked about Rogan only doing the big shows, Bisping responded that: “He doesn’t want to travel anymore. So he only does pay-per-views and then if it’s like in Australia [such as UFC 312] I’ll be doing that one.
“But then they mix it up between me, Dominick Cruz and Paul Felder because we all want to do the pay-per-views because you know but they’ve got their team set. They’ve got Joe Rogan, Jon Anik, and Daniel Cormier. You know what I mean if one of those can’t make it then they kick it down to the B-team.”
Joe Rogan could commentate ‘into his 70s’ says Michael Bisping
The big factor in commentating on international events is the brutal travel schedule. Bisping will have to go from his home in California to the other side of the world in Australia for UFC 312, and has also taken in shows in China and Europe despite his American base.
Meanwhile, Rogan is able to keep his outings to a minimum while hosting his massively famous podcast from his compound in Austin, Texas. When Jackson asked if Bisping thinks Rogan will retire soon, he replied: “I don’t think so.
“Why would you? He loves it, the travel is a pain in the a**. I was just in Tampa, week before that I was in Macau China, the week before was Vegas, then New York. It’s every week, it’s a pain in the a***, the travel is a nightmare.
“Calling the fights is awesome, being a part of the show, still being involved, going in and speaking to the fighters, a new generation of talent. I love that. But the travel is a pain in the a**. So for Joe he’s not going international, it’s once a month, I bet he’s still doing it when he’s 75.”
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