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In the aftermath of the controversy surrounding the dissemination of misinformation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, Joe Rogan was widely scorned for the use of racially charged vocabulary. However, he has found himself on the receiving end of a significant amount of support from UFC fighters amid this crisis.
While in conversation with the media at the UFC 271 pre-fight press conference, UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya vehemently supported Rogan, arguing that he was not a racist.
Watch the clip below:
UFC lightweight Terrance McKinney recently took to social media to reveal that he strongly believed Rogan was not a racist.
He further argued that those speaking up against Rogan carried the responsibility to forgive him and accept his apology. He declared that condemning people and not accepting their apologies was not the way to go about such matters.
Michael Chandler penned down his thoughts in a lengthy post on Instagram. Accordig to the top UFC lightweight, Joe Rogan was one of, if not the most open-minded people in the business.
Although he refused to condone any offensive statements that were made, 'Iron' urged fans to take a look at everything Rogan has achieved in the realm of combat sports and media before attempting to cancel him.
Aljamain Sterling called upon fans to look at the context in which Rogan's statements were made. However, he admitted that the use of the 'N-word' in itself is problematic and would be unacceptable, be it in today's political climate or that of a decade ago.
The likes of Frankie Edgar and Darren Till were also quick to jump to Joe Rogan's defense.
In addition to rallying behind Rogan, Chito Vera also shared a clip of Israel Adesanya voicing his support in favor of the UFC color commentator amid his controversy with the 'N-word'.
Former UFC fighters who support Joe Rogan
In a post on social media, Ben Askren called upon fans to offer people some leeway when it comes to objectionable statements made by them in the past.
Refusing to condone his actions and racially charged comments, Brendan Schaub claimed that Rogan has helped a significant number of people over the course of his career, regardless of race.
He admitted that making mistakes was a part of being a human and further argued in his favor regarding the allegations concerning the disemmination of COVID-19 misinformation.
He admitted that almost every single media house had made incorrect statements regarding the pandemic due to its unprecedented nature. Therefore, exclusively holding Rogan responsible for the same was incorrect
Watch Brendan Schaub's take on the Rogan controversy below:
