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UFC has announced that Joe Rogan will not be part of the commentary team for the upcoming UFC 297 event. Scheduled to take place on Saturday, January 20th, at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the event's highlight will be the middleweight title clash between current champion Sean Strickland (28-5 MMA) and challenger Dricus Du Plessis (20-2 MMA).
Strickland, who secured the title by defeating Israel Adesanya (24-3 MMA) last September at UFC 293, will be making his first title defense. Meanwhile, Du Plessis is riding an impressive eight-fight winning streak and aims to make history by becoming South Africa’s first UFC champion in the middleweight division.
In a departure from the norm, the weigh-ins for the event will be hosted by Dan Hellie instead of Joe Rogan. Joining Hellie will be Dominick Cruz, Chris Weidman, and Daniel Cormier. Megan Olivi will conduct both pre and post-fight backstage interviews, while the iconic Bruce Buffer will announce the fighters in the cage.
Stepping in to fill Rogan's shoes on commentary will be Jon Anik, Daniel Cormier, and Dominick Cruz. The trio is expected to provide detailed play-by-play coverage for what promises to be an exciting start to the UFC's pay-per-view calendar for 2024.
Joe Rogan's absence from the UFC 297 lineup is notable, given his renowned commentary style. Rogan is seldom seen outside the U.S. for UFC events, which has led to his replacement for this event.
However, fans can still look forward to insightful analysis and commentary from former UFC bantamweight champion Cruz, who will ensure that the event's coverage maintains its high standards.