After weeks of anticipation, UFC heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall took to the Octagon on Saturday at UFC 321 in his first official defense against former interim-champ Ciryl Gane. It was a fascinating matchup of two elite heavyweights and athletes. Unfortunately, the fight lasted just a couple of minutes after the Frenchman delivered a nasty eye poke on the champ that made him unable to continue fighting.
So, where does the UFC go next with its champion after UFC 321? We look at four potential options, including a super-fight with Alex Pereira.
Ciryl Gane
The obvious path ahead would be to book an immediate rematch between the pair of European big men. Especially since Gane seemed to be getting the better of the defending champion early in the fight, and even made his face bloody. Barring a serious eye injury to Aspinall, it is a matchup that could be quickly rescheduled and set for a PPV card early in 2026.
Jon Jones
Many MMA fans feel UFC legend Jon Jones ducked facing Aspinall in a unification bout this year. Jones already had the grappling advantage in a potential matchup, but after seeing what Gane was able to do early against him, Jones may believe he can do better than expected on the feet. With the MMA GOAT saying he wants to fight at the UFC’s event at the White House next year, maybe he’d be more willing to finally face the Englishman at that card in the main event.
Alex Pereira
Two-time light heavyweight king Alex Pereira has not hidden his desire to move up to heavyweight and chase UFC history by becoming the first man to win titles in three divisions. The big concern in a fight with Aspinall is not just the size differential, but his high-level grappling. However, after seeing what Gane was able to do on the feet early in the UFC 321 main event, the Brazilian could believe he would have an even better chance than he originally thought.
Alexander Volkov
Gane is the odds-on favorite to get an immediate rematch. However, very weird things happen when trying to book fights. Maybe Gane gets hurt or just cannot make the date. In that case, the next best option inside the division is Russian Alexander Volkov. He has won five of his last six, and the lone defeat was a very close split-decision to the French contender.
He was submitted by Aspinall three years ago in the first round, but he has fairly earned a second crack at him, this time in his first UFC title opportunity.
