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Joe Rogan is highly confident in Tom Aspinall's potential to reach the pinnacle of MMA, especially after the Brit won the interim UFC heavyweight title with a first-round knockout of Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 in November 2023.
This belief was highlighted when Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast a few days after UFC 295 and asked Rogan about the newest rising heavyweight in the UFC. Rogan responded:
"Tom Aspinall. The guy who just won the interim title. He's phenomenal. And he's the next advancement - the next evolution - of the sport."
When 'The Rock' asked him to elaborate on his take, Rogan added:
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"Well, because he can do everything. That guy's got elite Jiu-jitsu. He's got elite takedowns, his striking is outstanding. I mean, he knocked out Sergei Pavlovich, who's the scariest striker in all of MMA, and he knocked him out in the first round. And the way he did it was just picture-perfect."
Rogan noted that Aspinall was able to produce a dominant first-round finish against Pavlovich on less than two weeks' notice while dealing with a back injury that prevented him from training for their UFC 295 clash.
Check out Joe Rogan's comments below (0:01):
Joe Rogan shared his opinion on what makes Tom Aspinall stand out in the heavyweight division
The UFC's heavyweight division is home to some of the hardest-hitting fighters. While power has been a decisive attribute in the division, Joe Rogan, in the aforementioned interaction with Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, explained what makes Tom Aspinall a unique heavyweight athlete. He said:
"I knew Aspinall was going to have a speed advantage because he's faster than any heavyweight. That's something his coach drilled into him when he was young - Like, be fast... You've got to be fast. That's what's going to separate you from everybody else. Speed kills speed, yeah. And he's a giant dude. 260 pounds, but he moves like a fast, young guy - like a light guy. So that's what it is, and he's also just so, well-rounded." [1:35]
In the competitive sphere, Aspinall defended his interim UFC heavyweight title against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 in 2024. While there has been a strong demand for the title unification bout with undisputed champion Jon Jones, the UFC has not yet announced the fight.
