Joe Rogan has given his take on the heavyweight fight between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane at UFC 321. The contest did not reach a clear finish after an eye poke forced a stoppage, but Rogan believes the action before that moment already showed how the fight was unfolding.
Speaking on his podcast, Rogan said the ending took away a matchup that was becoming important for both fighters. He pointed to what he saw in the striking exchanges and how Gane was finding success early.
“It is a crime in the sport that the fight with Aspinall got stopped the way it did, that he eye poked him,” Rogan said. “It’s a crime, because that fight was playing out in a very interesting direction, because Aspinall was having a really hard time touching that guy. He was getting busted up. He was getting touched up a lot. Ciryl’s jab is legit.”
Stand Up Battle Favored Gane
Rogan explained that Aspinall faced a different kind of opponent in Gane. He said the speed and movement created problems that had not been seen before in Aspinall’s fights.
“How many times has he even been in the second round? My thought was, the real problem that Aspinall was going to present is in the grappling,” Rogan continued. “He’s a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, he’s a big fcker, he’s fast, he’s got a power double. He explodes, but when he was standing there with Gane, this was the first time that he was ever in front of a guy who was agile and quick and very technical. Gane was doing a lot of sneaky sht.”
Rogan’s breakdown focused on the difference between striking and grappling. While Aspinall is known for his ground skills and power, the fight stayed on the feet long enough for Gane to show his technical ability.
Since that fight, Aspinall has been recovering from the injury caused by the eye poke and has not returned to action. The result left fans wondering how the matchup would have ended if it continued.
Ciryl Gane has moved on to another major opportunity. He is scheduled to face Alex Pereira for an interim heavyweight title at the UFC White House event in June. That fight gives him another chance to compete at the top level while the division continues to move forward.
