Joe Rogan is sticking by his vow not to enter Canada, even after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vacated his office. 

During Rogan’s UFC fight companion podcast Saturday, he asked his cohosts when Belal Muhammad would be fighting Jack Della Maddalena, and was informed it would be at UFC 315 in Montreal on May 10.

“Wow. I won’t be there. I don’t go to Canada anymore,” Rogan said. “I don’t.”

Cohost Brendan Schaub interjected, “Nor should you. Discipline them.”

“No, I’d rather go to Russia,” Rogan said, laughing. 

Rogan does not go to most international UFC events, but Montreal is not as long a haul as when the fight promotion travels to other continents. He has been a color commentator for UFC since 1997.

Earlier in the show, Rogan had made it clear that while he dislikes Canadian leaders, he is fond of the country’s people. “They have terrible government but the Canadian people are awesome,” he said.

Rogan has previously expressed his disdain for Trudeau, and on his show over the weekend called new Prime Minister Mark Carney “more of the same.” 

There will be a snap election in Canada on April 28, so perhaps Rogan could be swayed to end his travel boycott depending on the results. 

A UFC spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment about Rogan’s remarks.

On his podcast last July, Rogan explained he wouldn’t go to Canada while Trudeau was in charge, citing “ridiculous free speech laws” and “tyranny” of the government. 

“They can come down on you for a lot of things. They seized up the bank accounts for people who were protesting, the truckers. People who were donating to the truckers, they seized their bank accounts,” Rogan said. “It’s not a good place under this administration, at least.”

Rogan was referring to the fallout from 2022 after Canadian truckers descended on Ottawa in protest against vaccine mandates. 

“Get rid of that guy [Trudeau], I’ll come back. I just don’t trust any of it up there,” Rogan said. “I think they’re so far into tyranny right now … the erosion of people’s rights. I don’t want to support it. I think it’s horrible.”

As President Donald Trump has threatened a trade war with Canada via tariffs and even broached the idea of adding the country as our 51st state, tension has spilled into the sports world. During NHL All-Star weekend last month, Canadian fans vociferously booed the United States’ national anthem. 

An attorney representing ESPN executive editor Cristina Daglas has sent a cease-and-desist letter to ESPN’s HR department related to an ongoing investigation into Daglas, who has been on administrative leave since January.

Daglas’s attorney, California employment lawyer Nikki Staggs, sent the letter to Front Office Sports by accident. 

Daglas is the No. 2 editor for all of ESPN Digital. FOS reported last month she was placed on administrative leave after multiple HR complaints. The specific nature of the complaints remains unclear.

The letter to ESPN accuses the company of “unlawful harassment, retaliation, and investigation” of Daglas, who has allegedly been contacted by ESPN HR at least seven times as part of the investigation, which the attorney said is “wholly meritless and unsubstantiated,” calling the situation “harassment, plain and simple.” 

“Respondents have failed to provide a clear articulation of the allegations or claims that allegedly justify this leave … what my client has been subjected to is a series of protracted, hours-long interrogations under the guise of an ‘investigation’ that appears to be both endless and aimless,” the letter says.

“The excessive nature of these meetings strongly suggests that Respondents are not conducting a legitimate inquiry, but rather grasping at straws in an attempt to manufacture misconduct where none exists. We remain steadfast in resolving this matter as expeditiously as possible. However, we expect that at this juncture, Respondents have already reached a decision after nearly two months of investigation and multiple discussions over the course of multiple hours with Claimant.”

The letter accuses ESPN of “actively attempting to preemptively tarnish” Daglas’s reputation. 

“Respondents are building a false narrative designed to portray Claimant as being shrouded in controversy—when in fact, she is being punished for protecting herself and for speaking out against institutional inequities,” the letter says.

The letter asks ESPN to cease and desist:

1. Any further harassment of [Daglas] under the guise of an “ongoing investigation”;

2. Any continued attempts to damage or smear her reputation internally or externally;

3. Any disclosure, leak, or dissemination—direct or indirect—of confidential materials, images, or information pertaining to [Daglas];

4. Any form of retaliation against [Daglas] for asserting her rights, speaking out, or protecting herself in the workplace.

The letter also asks ESPN to preserve documents relating to the investigation, and to produce Daglas’s employment files. The attorney asks for Daglas’s disputes to be referred to arbitration. 

An ESPN spokesperson declined to comment about the cease-and-desist letter.