UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya views the recent controversy surrounding Joe Rogan in simple terms. “It’s a systematic way of trying to take power away from someone,” Adesanya said on the “Flagrant 2” podcast. Rogan, a longtime UFC commentator and popular podcast host, first came under fire late last month when rock legend Neil Young demanded that his music be removed from Spotify in response to Rogan spreading COVID-19 vaccine misinformation on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” which is exclusive to the streaming platform. Other music artists, such as Joni Mitchell, joined Young in protest. On the heels of that controversy, another emerged when singer India Arie posted a compilation video that showed Rogan using the N-word 24 times on past episodes of his podcast. The following week, Adesanya passionately came to Rogan’s defense when he intercepted a question intended for UFC president Dana White during the UFC 271 pre-fight news conference
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