Joe Rogan would have Tom Aspinall fight someone else next if the decision were in his hands.
And the UFC commentator and famous podcaster certainly makes a good point.
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Aspinall was crowned the undisputed heavyweight champion when Jon Jones retired last monthCredit: Getty
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The Brit had been the interim champion, defending the status against Curtis Blaydes in his last fight at UFC 304 in ManchesterCredit: Getty
UFC CEO Dana White confirmed this week that Aspinall will make his inaugural heavyweight title defence against the No. 1-ranked Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 on October 25.
But, combat sports enthusiast Rogan would have matched Aspinall up against a completely different heavyweight.
“Aspinall is going to fight Gane,” he explained on an episode of the JRE MMA Show with UFC light heavyweight Khalil Rountree.
“If I were running things, I might set up the Derrick Lewis fight with Aspinall.
“I might say, ‘Forget Ciryl Gane, for now.’ Derrick has just had this big knockout win.
“Who’s more popular and beloved by fans than Derrick? Set it up.”
No. 9-ranked UFC heavyweight Lewis is beloved by several members of the MMA community worldwide.
The 40-year-old made mincemeat of Brazilian prospect Tallison Teixeira in his last fight, stopping his younger opponent inside 35 seconds of the opening round.
He is one of the few fighters in the UFC’s top 10 heavyweight rankings who has not been matched up against and knocked out by Aspinall.
Rountree agreed with Rogan, saying that Aspinall vs Lewis would be a ‘great fight.’
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Rogan would have matched Aspinall against a different heavyweightCredit: Getty
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Lewis finished Teixeira in 35 seconds at UFC Nashville in JuneCredit: Getty
However, he explained why the fight with Gane just makes more sense from a business standpoint.
“It makes sense to use Ciryl because of everything that he’s doing in France,” he said.
“With the UFC expanding internationally, Aspinall is a British icon, [and] Ciryl is a French icon.”
Gane has already had two world title shots, having lost to Jon Jones at UFC 285 in March 2023 and to Francis Ngannou 14 months prior.
Aspinall has asserted that he will eliminate the Frenchman from the title picture once and for all at UFC 321.
What is Tom Aspinall’s MMA record?
It will be the Brit’s first fight since he defended his status as the UFC interim heavyweight champion in Manchester last July.
Tom Aspinall’s UFC Record
Seven first-round KOs
W – Curtis Blaydes via first-round KO at UFC 304 in July 2024W – Sergei Pavlovich via first-round KO at UFC 295 in November 2023W – Marcin Tybura via first-round KO at UFC Fight Night in July 2023L – Curtis Blaydes via first-round TKO (injury) at UFC Fight Night in July 2022W – Alexander Volkov via first-round submission at UFC Fight Night in March 2022W – Serghei Spivac via first-round KO at UFC Fight Night in September 2021W – Andrei Arlovski via second-round submission at UFC Fight Night in February 2021W – Alan Baudot via first-round KO at UFC Fight Night in October 2020W – Jake Collier via first-round KO at UFC Fight Night in July 2020
Aspinall exacted revenge on his only defeat in White’s promotion against Curtis Blaydes by knocking out the American inside 60 seconds in their rematch.
The victory moved the Englishman to 15-3 in professional MMA, with his UFC record standing at 8-1.
Aspinall has since been embroiled in months of rumours and back-and-forth regarding a fight with ex-UFC heavyweight champion Jones.
That saga finally ended when, out of nowhere, White announced Jones had retired at UFC Baku last month.
The 32-year-old was subsequently elevated to undisputed champion and now makes his first defence of the title against Gane in October.
Jones, however, has since reversed his decision to retire and is expected to feature on the UFC White House card, alongside Conor McGregor, on July 4, 2026.
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