Joe Rogan would’ve picked a different opponent for Tom Aspinall’s return after Dana White announces Ciryl Gane clash

Joe Rogan would’ve booked Derrick Lewis to face Tom Aspinall if the decision was up to him

As a former interim champion and two-time title challenger, Ciryl Gane is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in the heavyweight division.

That doesn’t mean that fans weren’t somewhat surprised to see him get the first shot at Tom Aspinall following his controversial win over Alexander Volkov in December, which Dana White didn’t believe that he deserved.

Joe Rogan gave his thoughts on the recent fight announcement during an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience where he was joined by Khalil Rountree Jr.

The long-time UFC commentator said that if he was in charge of the books, he would’ve put a different opponent into the UFC 321 slot.

Derrick Lewis has always been beloved by the fans and he showed exactly why that is with his recent win over Tallison Teixeira that was followed by another classic post-fight celebration and interview.

Lewis may not be on a win streak that has seen him beat a top contender but ‘The Black Beast’ is always going to get people talking when he steps inside the Octagon.

“If I was running things, I would’ve set up the Derrick Lewis fight with Aspinall,” Rogan said. “I might say forget Ciryl Gane for now. Derrick just had this big knockout win, who’s more popular than Derrick? Who’s more beloved by fans than Derrick? Set it up.”

Khalil Rountree makes the case for why Ciryl Gane makes sense as Tom Aspinall’s first challenger

While Derrick Lewis would’ve been a fun option to put into the challenger spot, Ciryl Gane’s selection seemed like the choice that the UFC was always going to make.

Between their history, the style matchup, and both men’s status, Tom Aspinall facing Gane may be the biggest fight that the promotion could have put together at heavyweight.

Khalil Rountree made this case during the podcast, outlining that ‘Bon Gamin’ is a valuable star for the promotion as a big name in France.

“From, I guess, a business standpoint, it makes sense to use Ciryl because of everything that he’s doing in France. Movie star, you know what I mean? He’s got the entire country behind him now so with the UFC expanding internationally, it’s like Aspinall’s a British icon. Ciryl’s a French icon.”