Joe Rogan rarely reserves his highest praise for unproven talent, but a Cameroonian middleweight is forcing the UFC’s most influential voice to make an exception.

For the unaware fans, we’re talking about Ateba Gautier, who hails from the same country as Francis Ngannou, Cameroon. He’s currently riding on a 3-fight winning streak, with a 100 percent finishing rate, which has Joe Rogan envisioning big things for Gautier.

Joe Rogan makes his pick for the star of “the future”

It appears that there is no other fighter than Ateba Gautier that gives Joe Rogan goosebumps. “Ateba Gautier. This guy is from Cameroon. Oh, he’s f***ing terrifying,” the 58-year-old told guest Shane Gills on the #2431 JRE episode. “He’s 185lbs, six-foot-four, built like a Greek god, smokes everybody. Everybody just gets smoked.”

Joe Rogan mentioned the aspects where Ateba Gautier trumps other fighters in his division, which include his unmatched power. While he agrees to the notion that ‘The Silent Assassin’, known for knocking out opponents into oblivion, might be in a weight class lower than he should be, Rogan is fully convinced that Gautier, who has laid everybody to sleep in his UFC career so far, will make it to the top in the upcoming months and years.

“[He’s got] terrifying power, super speed, excellent technique, everything… He’s good, man. He’s good. Super f—ing strong, too. Very big for the weight class and awesome striking, man. [He’s] young,” Joe Rogan added. “That’s guy’s the future. He’s the future.”

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The “Greek god” labeling may not be false because Ateba Gautier is as shredded as anybody can be. But in Joe Rogan’s eyes, the appeal that the Cameroonian creates isn’t just from the aesthetics. It’s the combination of his physicality and skill that has him convinced that the middleweight prospect is destined for great things in Dana White‘s promotion.

Well, Joe Rogan and the fans will not have to wait to see Ateba Gautier in action again. With the UFC entering the paramount era, the Cameroonian fighter has been put on the card for the first numbered event of 2026 against a pretty credible opponent.

Gautier returns to action at UFC 324

Dana White and Co. are planning to open the 2026 calendar year with a bang. They’ve prepared a stacked card for UFC 324, with Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje headlining the event with the interim lightweight title on the line. Also, the women’s bantamweight title will be up for grabs as Kayla Harrison defends the belt against a returning Amanda Nunes. But that’s not all.

Ateba Gautier has also found his way into that card, but on the prelims. This is his third numbered UFC event (previously PPVs), but he still hasn’t made it onto the main card. Nevertheless, Gautier’s got a credible opponent to watch out for, Andrey Pulyaev, who’s 1-1 in the UFC, having won his last fight with a knockout in the second round.

Ateba Gautier has just started his UFC career, and it might take him some time before getting there in the upper echelon of the middleweight division. It might excite fans thinking about how a fight between him and Khamzat Chimaev would pan out. However, only time will tell how things pan out for Gautier.