Tom Aspinall Elevated to UFC Heavyweight Champion As Jon Jones Officially Retires: Who Will Be His First Challenger?

Credit: Richard Sellers/PA

After months of speculation and stalling the division, UFC President Dana White has confirmed that legendary two-division champion Jon Jones has retired from mixed martial arts.

“Jon Jones called us last night and retired. Jon Jones is officially retired,” White announced in the post-fight press conference after the UFC Fight Night in Baku, Azerbaijan. “Tom Aspinall is the heavyweight champion of the UFC.”

The passing of the torch means England’s Tom Aspinall, previously the interim titleholder, is now the undisputed heavyweight champion. The 32-year-old from Manchester has long been seen as the future of the division, and after over a year of campaigning for the Jones fight for the full version of the title, he won’t get his wish of facing “Bones”, but he has officially achieved his lifelong dream of becoming UFC heavyweight champ.

UFC President Dana White Heaps Praise on Tom Aspinall

White was quick to praise Aspinall’s resilience and professionalism throughout a frustrating period of limbo for the entire heavyweight roster. After winning the interim title in November 2023 by obliterating Sergei Pavlovich in just 69 seconds, Aspinall was left waiting in the wings as Jones vs Miocic was repeatedly delayed.

So instead of waiting, the Englishman faced off against Curtis Blaydes as he successfully defended his interim heavyweight title – something that is unprecedented and just shows the mess the division has been in since Jones became the champ.

"I obviously feel bad for Tom that he lost all that time and money, but we’ll make it up to him,” Dana White said. “Tom Aspinall is a good guy. He’s been incredible through this whole process that we’ve gone through. He’s been willing to do anything: fight him anywhere at any time and do this. Now he’s like, ‘I’ll fight anybody. Tell me who and I’ll fight him.’ Aspinall has been great. He’s going to be a great heavyweight champion for us and I’m excited to work with him.”

Who Could Be Tom Aspinall’s First UFC Heavyweight Title Defence?

With Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic presumably retired for good, they’re out of the title picture and the UFC must now determine who challenges Aspinall for his first defence.

Here are a few names that could be next in line to stand across the octagon from Aspinall.

Jailton Almeida 22-3

Jailton Almeida may be the most compelling option. Stylistically, his elite ground control poses an intriguing challenge to Aspinall’s jiu-jitsu black belt and athleticism. Almeida is on a strong run, and with Brazil lacking a recent pay-per-view, a title fight in Rio or Sao Paulo could showcase Aspinall to a broader audience.

Then again, the UFC president has hinted at treating Aspinall well to make it up to him for this whole saga, which could potentially mean a UFC pay-per-view in England.

Ciryl Gane 13-2

Aspinall vs Ciryl Gane certainly writes itself: England vs France in a heavyweight grudge match. It could headline a massive card somewhere in Europe. However, Gane’s resume under scrutiny is shaky. He was dominated on the ground by Francis Ngannou and submitted easily by Jones. 

Most recently, he struggled against Volkov, a man Aspinall ran through with ease. And the Frenchman has not exactly been in the gym perfecting his craft either, as he continues his venture into his movies career.

Alex Pereira 12-3

The wildcard is a potential super fight with former light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira. The Brazilian knockout artist has teased a move to heavyweight and already has the CV, aura, and fanbase to justify a move to try and become a three-weight UFC champ.

An Aspinall vs Pereira clash would generate massive interest as it’s a classic striker vs striker showdown that could headline any major card in any region of the world.

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