Joe Rogan Reportedly Replaced by Michael Bisping for UFC 271

AP Photo/Gregory Payan, File

Joe Rogan is no
longer scheduled to appear as part of the broadcast team for UFC 271
on Saturday night at the Toyota Center in Houston.

After MMA Fighting reported Friday
night that Rogan was being replaced by former middleweight champion
Michael Bisping, the UFC released a statement to the outlet saying
the longtime fight commentator had a “scheduling conflict” and
would return for UFC 272.

Rogan has come under fire in recent
weeks for issues related to his The Joe Rogan Experience podcast on
Spotify.

First, several high-profile musicians,
including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, told Spotify they wanted
their music removed from the platform if it was going to allow Rogan to spread “misinformation” about COVID-19 and vaccines
on his podcast.

Rogan issued an apology on Instagram
and said he made an agreement with Spotify to label episodes that may
be considered controversial and would try to have guests with
other perspectives on the hugely popular show, per Ryan Glasspiegel
of the New York Post.

“If I pissed you off, I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m not trying to promote misinformation. I’m not trying
to be controversial.”

That was followed by old clips from the
podcast surfacing which featured him using a racial slur, per Ben
Sisario of the New York Times. Spotify removed around 70
episodes of the podcast as a result.

Rogan once again apologized on
Instagram, saying it was the “most regretful and shameful thing
that I’ve ever had to talk about publicly.”

He’s continued to produce podcasts in
wake of the controversies, most recently posting an interview with
theoretical physicist Steven E. Koonin on Friday.

Meanwhile, Bisping will slide in
alongside Jon Anik and Daniel Cormier for Saturday’s broadcast.

UFC 272, when Rogan is scheduled to
return, is set for March 5 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.