Kenny Florian — not Joe Rogan — will be the color commentator alongside Mike Goldberg at UFC 83: “Serra vs. St. Pierre 2″ at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, on April 19.
Speculation has swirled for the past two weeks that Rogan would be absent from the broadcast booth and MMAWeekly.com was finally able to confirm it.
He apparently has commitments that supersede the historical first foray of the promotion into Canada.
Here’s a snip from “Ken Flo:”
“I’m looking forward to it. It’s not only going to be a tremendous night of fights, but it will be a great experience for me to get in there and commentate and watch these amazing fights real up close and do what I normally do on the couch, and yell and scream, except do it on TV.”
Florian recently defeated Joe Lauzon via technical knockout at UFC Fight Night 13 at the Broomfield Event Center in Broomfield, Colo., on April 2.
Let’s see how he does on the other side of the fence — he’s got some big shoes to fill. Rogan is the man … I don’t care what anyone says.
For the complete UFC 83 fight card click here.
56 Comments »
Hasn’t Kenny commentated before or am I imaginging this?
Imagining*
He was a special commentator during the Clay Guida vs Roger Huerta fight.
He’ll do a good job, but I’d definately rather have Joe up there.
[quote comment=”405137″]He was a special commentator during the Clay Guida vs Roger Huerta fight.
He’ll do a good job, but I’d definately rather have Joe up there.[/quote]
[quote comment=”405137″]He was a special commentator during the Clay Guida vs Roger Huerta fight.
He’ll do a good job, but I’d definately rather have Joe up there.[/quote]
Yeah Kenny is a solid replacement, but other then Bas Rutten, Rogan is the best in the business.
Nate Diaz calls out Tyson Griffin again!
http://www.fightline.com :
Diaz wasted no time in calling another lightweight contender, Tyson Griffin, via GracieFighter.com:
“That guy doesn’t want to fight me because he thinks he’s somewhere higher up than me? I just beat a guy that’s better than him. When was the last time he finished a fight anyways against any 155 pounder that was half decent on the ground..oh yeah never.
Diaz does have a point, and I would lovet o see him fight Tyson next!
[quote comment=”405164″]Nate Diaz calls out Tyson Griffin again!
http://www.fightline.com :
Diaz wasted no time in calling another lightweight contender, Tyson Griffin, via GracieFighter.com:
“That guy doesn’t want to fight me because he thinks he’s somewhere higher up than me? I just beat a guy that’s better than him. When was the last time he finished a fight anyways against any 155 pounder that was half decent on the ground..oh yeah never.
Diaz does have a point, and I would lovet o see him fight Tyson next![/quote]
Griffin vs Diaz would be a great fight. I like Diaz, his attitude can stink sometimes but he is a really decent fighter, and has a ton of potential. I reckon he could be 2 wins away from a title shot depending on the quality of his opponents.
I love how Nate always wants to fight good competition. Him and Tyson would make a great fight. It would probably be a lot of Tyson wrestling Nate to the ground and Nate working subs from the bottom.
Rogan IS the man.
And I would love to see Diaz fight Griffin, would be quite the ground fight.
I think Tyson would pound the living crap out of Diaz.
And I’m a huge fan of the Diaz brothers.
I would love to see Florian replace Goldberg full time.
I’m glad this is short term, I love Joe.
I give that fight to Diaz.
[quote post=”5680″]I think Tyson would pound the living crap out of Diaz.
And I’m a huge fan of the Diaz brothers.[/quote]
Why do people say that?
I think BJ Penn would WORK Joe Lauzon and I’m a Huge Fan of “Creepy Joe”
or
If GSP and Matt Hughes fought again I don’t think GSP will be able to stay off of his back. And I’m a big fan of GSP.
… anyone else hate that?
(p.s. i don’t think hughes would beat GSP)
[quote comment=”405276″]I’m glad this is short term, I love Joe.
I give that fight to Diaz.
[quote post=”5680″]I think Tyson would pound the living crap out of Diaz.
And I’m a huge fan of the Diaz brothers.[/quote]
Why do people say that?
I think BJ Penn would WORK Joe Lauzon and I’m a Huge Fan of “Creepy Joe”
or
If GSP and Matt Hughes fought again I don’t think GSP will be able to stay off of his back. And I’m a big fan of GSP.
… anyone else hate that?
(p.s. i don’t think hughes would beat GSP)[/quote]
Doesn’t bug me at all. I think most people say that to let others know they’re not senselessly hating on a fighter when they pick them to lose, like some are prone to do.
[quote comment=”405180″][quote comment=”405164″]Nate Diaz calls out Tyson Griffin again!
http://www.fightline.com :
Diaz wasted no time in calling another lightweight contender, Tyson Griffin, via GracieFighter.com:
“That guy doesn’t want to fight me because he thinks he’s somewhere higher up than me? I just beat a guy that’s better than him. When was the last time he finished a fight anyways against any 155 pounder that was half decent on the ground..oh yeah never.
Diaz does have a point, and I would lovet o see him fight Tyson next![/quote]
Griffin vs Diaz would be a great fight. I like Diaz, his attitude can stink sometimes but he is a really decent fighter, and has a ton of potential. I reckon he could be 2 wins away from a title shot depending on the quality of his opponents.[/quote]
I love Nates attitude, he is young, tearing up the lightweight division and not looking to hide from anyone.
Agree with the title shot soon maybe a few more than 2 fights but apart from Sherk, KenFlo or BJ can’t see who will beat him, his submissions are too slick.
Can be argued that he only won TUF by injury to Manny but he was getting beat in that fight like the Kurt fight and turned it round in 2nd round.
When are they going to replace Goldberg? I dunno if its a common opinion but me and at least my group of friends all think hes a retard.
Goldberg: “He’s unrelentless!”
UFC 76 Machida vs. Nakamura
Mike Goldberg: “And here is Nakamura…entering the octagon for the 1st time…touching the fence for the first time.”
Joe Roganlaughs)”You running out things to say?”
Mike Goldberg: “Yeah. Kinda(laughs). You? You know, you could help out and chime in once in a while…”
That sucks
Not too bad really, given the short notice to find a replacement i think it turned out pretty good.
Joe Rogan is the man! If I could name only one con about being there live for UFC 83 (okay 2 maybe because of ticket prices) it would be that I miss Rogan’s commentary. He’s the best in the business and puts a lot of the others to shame.
Nate hasn’t even fought top competition and there’s already talk about a title shot?!? Sounds like a little bit of the ol’ Houstan Alexander syndrome.
This had better be a short term thing because unlike Goldberg, Rogan knows what hes talking about.
“rape choke”
they should have gotten frank mir to commentate
does anyonbe know why joes missing the ppv or was he replaced?
Joe Rogan is perhaps the most annoying and biasit commentator there is. Every time Chuck Liddell would fight,”He can’t stand-up with chuck, chuck is too good, blah blah blah”
[quote comment=”405292″][quote comment=”405180″][quote comment=”405164″]Nate Diaz calls out Tyson Griffin again!
http://www.fightline.com :
Diaz wasted no time in calling another lightweight contender, Tyson Griffin, via GracieFighter.com:
“That guy doesn’t want to fight me because he thinks he’s somewhere higher up than me? I just beat a guy that’s better than him. When was the last time he finished a fight anyways against any 155 pounder that was half decent on the ground..oh yeah never.
Diaz does have a point, and I would lovet o see him fight Tyson next![/quote]
Griffin vs Diaz would be a great fight. I like Diaz, his attitude can stink sometimes but he is a really decent fighter, and has a ton of potential. I reckon he could be 2 wins away from a title shot depending on the quality of his opponents.[/quote]
I love Nates attitude, he is young, tearing up the lightweight division and not looking to hide from anyone.
Agree with the title shot soon maybe a few more than 2 fights but apart from Sherk, KenFlo or BJ can’t see who will beat him, his submissions are too slick.
Can be argued that he only won TUF by injury to Manny but he was getting beat in that fight like the Kurt fight and turned it round in 2nd round.[/quote]
You have to LOVE his attitude! He is only 22 years old and he is on FIRE right now. I loved the comment he made about how some TUF winners are sheltered but NOT HIM, forget about his age, he wants to test himself against the best, and until someone beats him, I think he should get every opportunity to keep climbing the ranks.
Keep in mind, Tyson Griffin trained with the Diaz brothers for many years before moving to extreme Couture. Nate and Tyson have grappled and sparred against each other a million times, so Diaz has 1st hand knowledge on how he can exploit TYSON.
Diaz’s ju jitsu is AMAZING, he basically submitted BATMAN with out even striking him 1st too loosen him up…Thats very impressive.
I agree Joe is a great commentator. He is very knowledgable,rolls with and is involved with many fighters in the UFC.
Joe Rogan is the best commentator hands down in MMA! He’s funny as hell and definetly knows what the fuck he is talking about! You need to check out his Youtube video’s…they are priceless! He beats the shit out of all kinds of people!
JOE IS THE BEST>>>
[quote comment=”405527″]Joe Rogan is perhaps the most annoying and biasit commentator there is. Every time Chuck Liddell would fight,”He can’t stand-up with chuck, chuck is too good, blah blah blah”[/quote]
Bias, then don’t watch. Can’t stand up with Chuck, it’s true. Chuck is to good, that’s true too.
Could it possibly be that Rogan for some legal reason cannot cross the border into Canada?
joes the only reason i get the pay per view and not just go to the bar to watch it. So this saves me 50bucks
joe does a great job! he’s a great ASSET to the UFC, sure he’s a celeb, but he knows how to fight and knows exactly what the fighters are doing in the octagon. joe is a BJJ brown belt and trained under eddie bravo, bravo is the only man to ever make a gracie tap-out.
[quote comment=”405593″]Could it possibly be that Rogan for some legal reason cannot cross the border into Canada?[/quote]
Thats what I was thinking.
The real reason Joe Rogan isn’t making the trip to Canada? He doesn’t want to take the risk of getting caught bringing his marijuana over the border! I love Rogan!
Good maybe Joe will quit could not stand him anyway!!!
GOOD BYE!
[quote comment=”405284″][quote comment=”405276″]I’m glad this is short term, I love Joe.
I give that fight to Diaz.
[quote post=”5680″]I think Tyson would pound the living crap out of Diaz.
And I’m a huge fan of the Diaz brothers.[/quote]
Why do people say that?
I think BJ Penn would WORK Joe Lauzon and I’m a Huge Fan of “Creepy Joe”
or
If GSP and Matt Hughes fought again I don’t think GSP will be able to stay off of his back. And I’m a big fan of GSP.
… anyone else hate that?
(p.s. i don’t think hughes would beat GSP)[/quote]
Doesn’t bug me at all. I think most people say that to let others know they’re not senselessly hating on a fighter when they pick them to lose, like some are prone to do.[/quote]
Doesn’t bother me either. I agree with Jase. I may have said much the same before myself just to make the point I’m not mindlessly bashing a fighter and when most say they’re a fan of fighterX I believe they’re being genuine. Also it’s kind of like admitting your bias won’t sway you.
Also I think some kind of say it to point out they’re not fickle fans because if everyone else notices that you’re ‘fighterXs’ biggest fan one moment then next fight or a couple later you’re going “he’s going to get killed” it looks like a dumb, inconsistent sherdog style bandwagon jumping mma fan. It’s like you’re trying to qualify your statement; make it seem less harsh and point out that you’re not just hating.
I know what you’re saying though, if you read it once you might say it doesn’t make sense and it is becoming somewhat of a cliche.
[quote comment=”405673″]The real reason Joe Rogan isn’t making the trip to Canada? He doesn’t want to take the risk of getting caught bringing his marijuana over the border! I love Rogan![/quote]
Oh yeah lol. Who hooked him up in the UK though?
this man should never be given a mic, EVER. i will miss mr rogan for sure.
Rogan is good because he is a fan in and out he trains and hes doing what he loves which brings quality to his work.
I like him because hes not afraid to state his opinion like when he said (what most MMA fans know) that Fedor is the best fighter in the world
I was suprised when he said there are alot of geat LW not in the UFC during the UFN telecast. Rogan and goldberg are perfect dont change a thing
[quote comment=”405470″]Nate hasn’t even fought top competition and there’s already talk about a title shot?!? Sounds like a little bit of the ol’ Houstan Alexander syndrome.[/quote]
Nate’s won his last 4 fights in the ufc, as for top competition thats all he wants, so if he wins another 3 or so matches against “top competition” which he probably will and is 7-0 in the ufc after that then why the hell would they not give him a title shot?
rape choke is the best comment ever me and my brothers quoted that all damn broadcast
I think Rogan and Goldberg are the best team… yeah Goldberg says some dumb shat, but that is what’s so good a little comic relief with him and Joe’s commentating and ring interviews are the best and more importantly unbiased.
Damn that hemmorroid surgery! Why can’t Joe put it off for one week?!?!
I can’t stand Kenny Florian, thanks UFC this will be the first ppv I haven’t purchased since 2005!
Joe Rogan had a yeast infection that had to be taken care of guys, he”ll be back for UFC 84, get well soon Joe!
are you kidding me joe rogan is by far the worst color commentater in any sport, he knows absolutly nothing about what hes talking about give me a break bring in randy couture
I think Andy C. has correctly identified the reason for Joe’s absence. Using the term “rape choke” is controversial at best and certainly not consistent with the promotion’s objective to popularize the sport. Joe is an awesome commentator but that is a super offensive term to be used in mixed company. I hope this suspension wont stop him from dissing the ref and judges whenever it’s warrented.
HOw about Diaz vs. Danzig. That would be sweet.
What the Hell….I also HATE florian……HATE him….why can’t they even get goldberg…lol…..did i mention I hate Florian!!!
Joe is the man! There is no other cool mofo like Joe!
Wonder if Dana benched him because of his comments on ESPN about diggin on the other fight leagues? or Ganja related issues? There is no dates booked on his stand up schedule.
What would we do without Joe? Randy was awesome but I don’t think he will be calling any UFC fights soon.
Rogan is great! Knowledgable and funny. Rampage might someday make a good color commentator for the same reasons. Oh sponteneity(sp) too. Rogan does standup so he’s quick on his feet. Not sure Rampage has that yet.
Frank Mir was a very good technical commentator for WEC but didn’t have the comedy.
I wonder if Rogan is in any type of trouble with the UFC for past things like showing his little pot stash on video and making these comments below:
During the interview with ESPN, Rogan also welcomed the news that UFC rival EliteXC has signed a deal with US network TV station CBS.
He added: “I think it’s fantastic. Any exposure that MMA gets which shows how exciting the sport is, whether it’s EliteXC, Strikeforce, IFL or whoever it is, I don’t care — I like watching fights.”
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/ufc/article870521.ece
Oh man…no Joe? I mean, Goldie seems like a good guy and all, but his ringside commentary leaves a bit to be desired. Hopefully Florian will do well.
Nothing against Kenny, but I know that it will seem as if there is something missing without Rogan there. Hopefully he will be back for the next one.
aww man joe rogans always stoned, you just get a good vibe from people that smoke weed.
I hope Matt Serra finishes off St. Pierre with the Rape Choke…LOL
I was also unhapp to hear that Rogan won’t be doing the broadacst tonight, but I don’t really believe that he has a prior “family commitment”. I’d be more inclined to believe that he has “border issues”.