Rogan said he interviewed fighters directly because he didn't want his interactions to be impersonalGETTY IMAGES
UFC analyst Joe Rogan "interviewed fighters postfight in the Octagon on Saturday in Jacksonville, Fla., a departure from UFC's previously stated protocol in light of the coronavirus pandemic," according to Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com. Rogan, asked during an appearance on "SportsCenter" why he chose to interview fighters directly, said that he "didn't want his interactions to be 'impersonal.'" Rogan: "I've been tested, they've been tested. I want to see them." UFC Exec VP/Operations & Productions Craig Borsari earlier in the week said that "no postfight Octagon interviews would take place at UFC 249." Raimondi noted outside the Octagon, "many but not all personnel were wearing protective masks" (ESPN.com, 5/9). In N.Y., Campbell & Draper noted at the start of the telecast, a "standup shot included all three announcers -- Jon Anik on play-by-play and analysts Rogan and Daniel Cormier -- close together and without masks." They later "appeared to speak from separate tables at different spots around the octagon" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/10).
