UFC color commentator Joe Rogan will not be a part of the broadcast team at the UFC 265 pay-per-view in Houston, Texas.
Instead of Joe Rogan, former bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz will fill in for the broadcasting position. News of the switch-up was first reported by ESPN.
According to the report, Joe Rogan will be unable to attend UFC 265 since he will be traveling to Iowa and Wisconsin as part of his comedy tour. Lately, Rogan has not been seen traveling internationally, but typically during UFC pay-per-view broadcasts, he is included as part of the team. With Cruz replacing Rogan, he will be joined alongside former double champion Daniel Cormier and lead play-by-play commentator Jon Anik. To cap off the broadcast team, Megan Olivi will head fighter interviews backstage.
Fight Week has 𝑨𝑹𝑹𝑰𝑽𝑬𝑫 👊
[ #UFC265 | 🎨: @pinchemoreno ] pic.twitter.com/YtZfZOBdxR
— UFC (@ufc) August 3, 2021
The marquee event is headlined by Houston’s own, Derrick Lewis taking on the surging and unbeaten Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title. In addition, the two heavyweights will throw down in front of a sold-out crowd inside of the Toyota Center.
At first, the event list included another championship bout when Amanda Nunes was set to defend her 135-pound title against Julianna Peña but that has since been scratched due to a positive COVID-19 test.
Replacing the championship fight will be the featherweight great Jose Aldo who looks to establish himself as a clear top contender in the 135-pound weight class against Pedro Munhoz.
With Joe Rogan out, and the broadcast team set in stone, here is a look at the lineup for the UFC 265 card this weekend:
- Derrick Lewis vs. Ciryl Gane [C]
- José Aldo vs. Pedro Munhoz [elevated to co-main event]
- Vicente Luque vs. Michael Chiesa
- Tecia Torres vs. Angela Hill
- Yadong Song vs. Casey Kenney
- Rafael Fiziev vs. Bobby Green
- Drako Rodriguez vs. Vince Morales
- Ed Herman vs. Alonzo Menifield
- Karolina. Kowalkiewicz vs. Jessica Penne
- Manel Kape vs. Ode Osbourne
- Miles Johns vs. Anderson dos Santos
- Victoria Leonardo vs. Melissa Gatto
- Johnny Munoz Jr. vs. Jamey Simmons
What fight are you most looking forward to at UFC 265?
