Joe Rogan offers explanation as two UFC 313 fights | Sports News

The UFC 313 card was rocked by two last-minute fight cancellations due to illness according to commentator Joe Rogan.

On Saturday, UFC prepared for its latest pay-per-view event live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. However, the event was struck by a pair of last-minute fight cancellations.

Heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes withdrew from his fight with promotional newcomer Rizvan Kuniev while John Castenada and Chris Gutierrez’s bantamweight contest was also called off. As a result, UFC 313 started more than an hour later than it was originally scheduled.

Over the winter months, norovirus has spread with the bug causing violent bouts of vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramps. In a post uploaded to his the 34-year-old Blaydes confirmed he was ill, writing: “Last night I got sick with norovirus. Worked through the night to try and recover, but my body wouldn’t cooperate. Fight going to be booked for a later date. Apologize to fans and my opponent, but we will have this fight very soon.”

Alongside Jon Anik and Daniel Cormier, Rogan outlined that both fight cancellations were due to illness. The UFC’s longest-serving commentator said: “It’s a bummer.

“Apparently, there’s something going around the UFC PI. We’ve been hearing about a lot of guys getting sick. Very unfortunate, but we still have 10 great fights.”

UFC 313 is set to be headlined by light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira’s showdown with Magomed Ankalaev. The Brazilian – who possesses a 12-2-0 record – is looking for his fourth successive defense.

When it comes to the argument about who is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport, UFC CEO Dana White conceded back in January that Islam Makhachev had surpassed Jon Jones – but Pereira may not be far behind. Since winning the title with a knockout in 2024, the 37-year-old has tallied three more devastating finishes.

If he can do the same to Ankalaev, perhaps he will take the top spot in the mind of White. Speaking on ESPN’s ‘First Take’, the 55-year-old said: “He’s one of the biggest stars in the sport right now, if not the biggest star in the sport. What makes this weekend great is Ankalaev is a very serious threat to him.

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“This is probably the toughest fight he’s ever had. His team always talks about his takedown defense and that the fans don’t really know how good it is. We’re going to find out how good it is this weekend.

“This is a tough fight for Alex. Alex comes out of this the way he’s come out of every other fight, he might be the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world.”

Ankalaev has been considered one of the best light heavyweights in the world for some time. The fight against the Russian is Pereira’s fifth straight main event and seventh headlining spot overall since he joined the UFC roster back in 2021.