AUSTIN, TEXAS: Two championship bouts will be the main events of UFC 290 on Saturday, July 8 capping up the most recent International Fight Week, and Joe Rogan will be back in his role as color commentator.
Although his return isn't particularly shocking, Rogan missed UFC 289 in June when the organization returned to Canada for Amanda Nunes' final bout before she announced her retirement.
UFC 290
Rogan no longer travels abroad for UFC pay-per-views, although he usually still makes the journey to Canada. This time, however, he did not. He'll return for UFC 290 on Saturday, where Brandon Moreno defends his flyweight championship against Alexandre Pantoja in the co-main event and Alexander Volkanovski faces Yair Rodriguez in the featherweight main event.
Alongside UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier and UFC play-by-play guy Jon Anik, Rogan will call the fights. The evening's arena reporter will be Megan Olivi.
While the broadcast team is already in place, the actual card has seen a number of changes in recent days. Jack Della Maddalena now has Josiah Harrell as his opponent after Sean Brady was forced to withdraw from their bout due to injury.
Tresean Gore's injury forced him to withdraw from UFC 290, forcing top prospect Bo Nickal to find a replacement opponent. Instead of him, Val Woodburn jumped at the chance to square off against Nickal on Saturday.
'They all suck'
As soon as the news broke that Joe Rogan will be hosting UFC 290, fans had their say on the internet. A fan said, “He pretty much does every card in America” whereas another fan said, “Meh. They all suck.” Another fan added, “Pathetic lineup of announcers. Outside anik” and one said, “As long as it isn't Lara Sanko. Top quality commentary but terrible voice.”
On Saturday, July 8, UFC 290 begins with the preliminary card at 6 pm ET and the pay-per-view broadcast at 10 pm ET. The broadcast team was confirmed by UFC representatives to MMA Fighting on Tuesday.
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