Despite the rarity of international UFC cards being held in North America, and the highly anticipated matchup between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena, longtime fight analyst Joe Rogan will not attend UFC 315 in Montreal due to political reasons.
“I won’t be there. I don’t go to Canada anymore,” Rogan stated on a Joe Rogan Experience “Fight Companion” podcast over the weekend. He humorously added, “I’d rather go to Russia” after receiving agreement from his co-host.
Earlier in the episode, while discussing World War II, Rogan expressed that it was “stupid” for Americans to harbor disdain towards Canadians, stating, “They have terrible government, but the Canadian people are awesome.”
Rogan has previously criticized former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. As noted by Front Office Sports, he revealed last July that his issues stem from a 2022 protest in Ottawa, where truckers protested against the country’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates. In response, Trudeau targeted the protestors’ bank accounts under the Emergencies Act, for the first time in Canadian history. Rogan mentioned he would consider returning to Canada once Trudeau was out of office and the country had overcome its “tyranny” and “the erosion of people’s rights.”
During the podcast, Rogan also showed support for conservative Pierre Poilievre in the upcoming election to replace Trudeau. At UFC 312 in February, Michael Bisping took Rogan’s place on the call in London. Unless there are changes in the Canadian government before May’s card, it seems Rogan will continue to sit out the Muhammad-Della Maddalena fight in protest.
