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Morning Report | Joe Rogan defends Tom Aspinall from critics of UFC 321 no-contest: ‘He got really f*cked over’

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2 months ago

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Morning Report | Joe Rogan defends Tom Aspinall from critics of UFC 321 no-contest: ‘He got really f*cked over’

Joe Rogan still can't understand why Tom Aspinall was vilified following his disappointing UFC 321 title defense.

The British heavyweight's first fight as undisputed champion this past October ended in utter disaster for him and challenger Ciryl Gane, as the bout was ruled a no-contest near the end of the first round due to Aspinall being unable to continue after Gane poked him in the eyes. Aspinall has been on the mend since, undergoing surgery to address eye injuries from the foul and waiting to be fully cleared to compete again.

In the aftermath of that debacle, Aspinall heard it from all sides with some defending his decision and others criticizing him for not pushing through the injury (worse, some have accused Aspinall of embellishing his circumstances due to him possibly losing the first round to Gane). UFC commentator Joe Rogan has always had sympathy for Aspinall's situation, and he doubled down on that take on a recent episode of his podcast.

“He got a bad deal,†Rogan said. “He got really f*cked over for that fight. The way people got upset at him for stopping the fight with those eye pokes, to me that drove me crazy. What do you expect the guy to do? He's defending the heavyweight title. He's defending the heavyweight title. He gets poked in the eyes and he can't f*cking see and he's had two eye surgeries since then.â€

Rogan's guest Rico Verhoeven, a friend and training partner of Aspinall's, also came to the heavyweight king's defense.

“He's the nicest guy and he works incredibly hard,†Verhoeven said. “He would never, never even though—Because I understand where it comes from from the people to a certain extent because they feel like, ‘Hey, Gane was doing so good in the beginning of the fight.' But it was just the beginning of the fight. It was just the first round or whatever, so it's possible because of some ring rust he had to get into it, and the fight ain't over until it's over.

“You can have an opinion about the first round, he gets an eye poke, now he's going to stop because he knew he was behind or whatever. He would never, never in whatever world do that.â€

“If you looked at the eye poke, he was knuckle-deep in his eye hole,†Rogan added.

Aspinall has continued to face scrutiny for his absence and he has responded with frequent updates on the procedures he's had to go through for his injuries as well as other personal and professional updates. He's also found himself in an odd position with UFC CEO Dana White, who is currently in an ongoing public feud with Matchroom Boxing boss Eddie Hearn, the man who just so happened to recently sign Aspinall to a management contract.

For various reasons – including a fruitless pursuit of now-former heavyweight champion Jon Jones – Aspinall has fought just twice 2023 and there remains a contingent of fans unconvinced that he's been out of action for legitimate reasons.

Rogan doesn't mince words when it comes to that specific section of critics.

“I just hate that fans reacted the way they reacted – and it's the casual ones, it's the shitheads,†Rogan said. “For me, I was like, ‘God, you've got give the guy some grace. He got his eye poked out.' He literally was knuckle-deep in his eyes.

“For anyone to think that he should be fighting with one eye like that, ‘Who cares? Keep fighting,' that's insane. He got fouled. It's not because of a punch, it's not because he got kicked or an elbow, it's a foul. So no, the fight should have been stopped the way it was and everybody should understand that. It's not his fault. It was his opponent's fault.â€

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Behind the scenes for the MVPFL merger.

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SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Or, like, he just is a different kinda dude.

It's also just a good skill to have, and not hard to learn.

It would be good to have him back.

Yair Rodriguez (20-5) vs. Jean Silva (17-3); Noche UFC, Sep. 12.

Ian Machado Garry does an ad for PETA – I’m sure MMA fans will be cool about it

Ian Machado Garry is one of the most beloved fighters in the UFC. The fans have never had a bad word to say about him, his personal relationships, or his views on women.

But if it were possible for MMA fans to like Garry more, he may have just done it, because the possible future welterweight champion of the world just did an ad for PETA.

I can’t wait for the fan reaction to this one.

Rec 5ReplyRead 43 replies

Now that Rogan has come out and said it, and people hate Gane, Tom gonna be back in everyone's good graces. This is a fickle sport. – Meshew

If you find something you'd like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @AlexanderKLee or @JedKMeshew on Twitter and let us know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitch, and like us on Facebook.

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Rampage Jackson thinks King Green may have been saved from himself in UFC 332 loss: "

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12 hours ago

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October 4, 2026

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Rampage Jackson thinks King Green may have been saved from himself in UFC 332 loss: "
Trending:

Ciryl Gane shares first words since Tom Aspinall vacated UFC heavyweight title amid latest eye setback
Zuffa LLC

Quinton “Rampage†Jackson believes King Green may have been too tough for his own good this past Saturday.

Green collided with Esteban Ribovics on the UFC 332 main card in Salt Lake City. There was some bad blood going into this one after Green's team confronted Ribovics for missing weight. In the end, it was Ribovics who got the last laugh as he delivered several knockdowns to earn the first-round TKO finish.

While Green has said he wishes referee Herb Dean gave him more time to recover, Jackson told Nina Drama that the fan favorite lightweight was likely saved (h/t MMAMania).

“You put on a show before you worry about your own safety,†Jackson said. “We don't think about the wear and tear that we have on our body. That's what they be thinking about. Like, my brother, I wanted to see you win but that might have been a bad decision. What we don't think about in fighting is that s–t adds up.â€

Jackson made a rare appearance as a cornerman for Green, and he said it was difficult for him to deny the request.

“I don't really corner,†Jackson said. “Bobby asked me to corner him and all that stuff, I was like, ‘Ah, I don't wanna do all that stuff.' But, he's such a good guy, I didn't want to say no.â€

“Rampage†admitted that it was tough seeing Green suffer a TKO loss, but it comes with the territory of being a prizefighter.

“Bobby's an entertainer, he's going to bring it no matter what,†Jackson continued. “It's just, for me, he's my boy, he's like my brother. It just sucks seeing one of your boys get beat but it happens. It's part of the job.â€

Green will have to reassess what went wrong before his next outing, which likely won't be until 2027. His three-fight winning streak is over, but Green is no stranger to rebounding from defeat.

What do you think should be next for King Green? Let us know in the comments below.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

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Charles Oliveira-Diego Lopes BMF title fight headlines UFC 335

Published

1 day ago

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October 4, 2026

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Charles Oliveira-Diego Lopes BMF title fight headlines UFC 335
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship has a stacked year-ender taking
shape in Las Vegas.

Charles Oliveira will defend his BMF title against Diego Lopes
at UFC 335 in Las Vegas

During Saturday’s UFC
332 card, the UFC announced that Charles
Oliveira will make his Octagon return against Diego Lopes
with the honorific “BMF†championship on the line in the UFC
335 headliner. Oliveira (37-11, 1 NC; 25-11, 1 NC UFC) claimed
the BMF crown at UFC 326 after upending Max
Holloway on all scorecards. Prior to that, “do Bronxs†forced
Mateusz
Gamrot to tap to a face crank in their UFC Fight Night 261
encounter in October 2025.

Lopes (28-8, 7-3 UFC) had to weather the storm against Steve
Garcia in their UFC White House encounter, but he ultimately
scored a second-round knockout victory. The Lobo Gym MMA
representative bounced back after losing a one-sided decision to
Alexander
Volkanovski in their rematch at UFC 325.

On the same card, former two-division titleholder Alex
Pereira (13-4, 10-3 UFC) will try to score his first win at
heavyweight when he faces Sergei
Pavlovich. Pereira failed to become a three-division champion
when he lost to Ciryl Gane
in the UFC White House co-main event in June. Pavlovich (21-3, 9-3
UFC) smashed Tallison
Teixeira 39 seconds into the UFC Macau co-headliner. The winner
could be close to a shot at the divisional championship.

UFC 335 will take place in Las Vegas on Dec. 12. The card will also
feature a middleweight tilt between rising contenders Joe Pyfer and
Bo
Nickal.

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MMA

UFC 332: 'Silva vs. Wang' Live Results and Highlights

Published

1 day ago

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October 3, 2026

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UFC 332: 'Silva vs. Wang' Live Results and Highlights
Trending:

Ciryl Gane shares first words since Tom Aspinall vacated UFC heavyweight title amid latest eye setback

The Octagon returns to Salt Lake City for tonight's UFC 332 event, a 14-bout fight card headlined by Natalia Silva vs. Wang Cong.

Silva and Cong will be competing for the vacant women's flyweight title, this after longtime champion Valentina Shevchenko was forced to vacate the belt due to injury.

Natalia Silva (20-5-1 MMA) will enter the contest sporting a 14-fight winning streak, with her most recent Octagon victory coming over Rose Namajunas this past January at UFC 324. The 29-year-old Brazilian has not tasted defeat since suffering a unanimous decision loss to Marina Rodriguez way back in December of 2017.

Meanwhile, Wang Cong (10-1 MMA) currently boasts a four-fight winning streak, with her most recent victory coming over Tracy Cortez this past July at UFC 329. ‘The Joker' suffered her lone career loss to Gabriella Fernandes via technical submission back in November of 2024.

UFC 332 is co-headlined by a men's bantamweight matchup featuring Deiveson Figueiredo taking on Payton Talbott.

Image via: samcasttroo on Instagram

Figueiredo (25-7-1 MMA) will enter the bout with hopes of snapping a two-fight losing skid. The former flyweight kingpin is coming off losses to Umar Nurmagomedov and Song Yadong in his most recent efforts. ‘Figgy' has gone just 1-4 over his past five Octagon appearances overall.

Meanwhile, Payton Talbott (11-1 MMA) will be returning to action for the first time since scoring a unanimous decision win over former bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo at UFC 323. The 28-year-old has gone 4-1 over his past five fights, with his lone loss in that time coming by way of decision to Raoni Barcelos.

Also featured on tonight's UFC 332 main card lineup is a lightweight bout between King Green and Esteban Ribovics.

Green (36-17-1 MMA) will enter the contest on a four-fight winning streak, this after scoring three straight finishes over Daniel Zellhuber, Jeremy Stephens and Terrance McKinney (see that here). The longtime veteran has gone 7-3 over his past 10 Octagon apperances overall.

Meanwhile, Esteban Ribovics (16-3 MMA) was most previously seen in action this past August at UFC 330, where he scored a second-round TKO victory over Edson Barboza. ‘El Gringo' has gone 3-2 over his past five fights overall.

Get all of tonight's live results and highlights below (refresh for updates):

UFC 332 Main Card (Paramount+, 8 p.m. ET)

Natalia Silva (125) vs. Wang Cong (124.5) – Silva def. Cong by unanimous decision (48-47 x2, 49-46)

Deiveson Figueiredo (135) vs. Payton Talbott (135.5) – Talbott vs. Figueiredo via TKO (punches) at 2:09 of Round 1

King Green (155.5) vs. Esteban Ribovics (156.5)* – Ribovics def. Green via TKO (punches) at 4:08 of Round 1

Khaos Williams (170) vs. Roberto Soldic (170) – Soldić def. Williams by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27 x2)

Ateba Gautier (184) vs. Roman Kopylov (185) – Kopylov def. Gautier via TKO (punches) at 3:12 of Round 1

UFC 332 Prelims (Paramount+, 6 p.m. ET)

Imanol Rodriguez (126) vs. Alden Coria (126) – Rodriguez def. Coria via TKO (front kick to the body and punches) at 3:11 of Round 1

Damian Pinas (185) vs. Andrey Pulyaev (185.5) – Pinas def. Pulyaev via KO (punch) at 1:15 of Round 1

Marcus McGhee (144.5) vs. Anthony Romero (145) – McGhee def. Romero via TKO (punches) at 4:58 of Round 1

Anthony Wint (236) vs. Lucas Armand (263) – Wint def. Armand via TKO (punches) at 0:23 of Round 1

UFC 332 Early Prelims (Paramount+, 4 p.m. ET)

Johnny Walker (242) vs. Mick Parkin (265) – Walker def. Parkin via KO (knee) at 3:35 of Round 1

Rafael dos Anjos (155.5) vs. Alexander Hernandez (155) – Hernandez def. Dos Anjos via TKO (punches) at 3:12 of Round 2

Marvin Vettori (185.5) vs. Ismail Naurdiev (184.5) – Naurdiev def. Vettori by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

Jacobe Smith (171) vs. Bruce Whitehead (170) – Smith def. Whitehead via KO (punches) at 1:32 of Round 1

Court McGee (170) vs. Eric Nolan (170) – Nolan def. McGee via KO (punch) at 3:26 of Round 3

Who are you picking to win tonight's women's flyweight title fight between Natalia Silva and Wang Cong? Share your predictions in the comment section PENN Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

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