Tom Aspinall makes his first protection as undisputed heavyweight champion at UFC 321 on Saturday towards an opponent who has already tried and failed twice at claiming that very same title.
After making a quick stand up the ranks, Ciryl Gane got here up quick when he dropped a call to Francis Ngannou in 2022 after which issues acquired even worse when Jon Jones tapped him out barely two minutes into their struggle in 2023. A two-fight win streak put Gane in place for an additional title struggle, however Aspinall is an awesome favourite to win, which places the champion in a tricky place.
With Ngannou not within the UFC and Jones probably angling for a struggle towards Alex Pereira in 2026, Aspinall faces an unsure future as the perfect heavyweight on this planet with none really compelling fights awaiting him.
“[Tom Aspinall reminds me of] Vitali Klitschko when he was a champion for a very long time,” UFC legend Matt Brown mentioned on the newest episode of The Fighter vs. The Author. “Set quite a few information. It took perpetually for folks to provide him any actual credit score for being an awesome heavyweight champion. I’m undecided he nonetheless will get the credit score he deserves. But it surely was precisely that due to the dearth of competitors. The blokes that he was beating up was simply subpar. He would mainly struggle anyone over in Europe as a result of he would promote out 100,000 tickets and make nonetheless many a whole bunch of thousands and thousands of {dollars}. He’s like ,‘I don’t care who you’re actually.’ He didn’t give a shit. He’d simply jab them for 12 rounds and go money his examine.
“However that’s type of what it jogs my memory of. I believe that’s an awesome query. With out the Jon Jones struggle, if it by no means occurs, I’m undecided. What’s he acquired to do? He can beat all these guys and the title protection file is three [in a row] by Stipe [Miocic]. Who’s three guys that we’re going to be fired up about him beating proper now?”
A fast take a look at the heavyweight rankings reveals the issue Aspinall has forward of him, assuming he will get by way of Gane at UFC 321.
On the identical night time he’s competing in the principle occasion, Jailton Almeida faces Alexander Volkov in a possible No. 1 contender bout with the winner probably shifting on to struggle for the title in 2026. The issue is Almeida is a suffocating grappler, however his model doesn’t precisely lend itself to thrilling fights, and he acquired knocked out in his largest struggle up to now when he confronted Curtis Blaydes in 2024.
Aspinall only recently torched Blaydes with a first-round knockout and he additionally holds a submission win over Volkov after they met simply over three years in the past. Add to that, Aspinall additionally holds a knockout win over Sergei Pavlovich, the one different high 5 ranked fighter accessible presently.
In different phrases, there aren’t numerous choices for Aspinall if he doesn’t persuade Jones to struggle him, which is by far the largest and most marketable matchup accessible at heavyweight. That leaves Aspinall caught ready the place he’s clearly the perfect on this planet however competing in a largely dreadful division.
“I believe the one probability Tom has is he has to win spectacularly a number of occasions,” Brown defined. “He can’t go simply win. It’s acquired to be spectacular.
“That’s precisely what he wants. He must go on the market and do one thing spectacular and be like ‘I’m thus far above these motherf*ckers that I’m up there with f*cking Jon Jones, I’m up there with the greats.’ That’s the place it’s a bit of bit disastrous if this can be a shut struggle [with Gane] As a result of it’s such as you’re the perfect of the worst proper now.”
If the Jones struggle by no means occurs, Aspinall may need to accept opponents that aren’t essentially going to raise him to all-time nice standing in heavyweight historical past. Possibly none of that issues to him however Brown factors out Aspinall is coming alongside at a time when even previous champions like Ngannou, Stipe Miocic, and even Daniel Cormier aren’t round any longer.
That leaves Aspinall as a novel, maybe once-in-a-lifetime expertise with out anyone to actually push him to the subsequent stage in his profession.
“It sucks he’s doing all the fitting issues and the alternatives are simply not coming his method,” Brown mentioned. “However I additionally imagine strongly this sport has it’s method of working its method out. He goes out and retains doing the fitting issues, it’s going to work out for him however proper now we don’t see a path for legendary greatness for Tom Aspinall.
“That’s the barrier that we’re not seeing that he can overcome. There’s no route in the direction of that barrier to beat it. That’s an unlucky drawback.”
