After a rare week of leave, the UFC is back in action this weekend with a main heavy goods vehicle event between Derrick Lewis and Tallison Teixeira at the UFC Fight Nashville, Tennessee (9 p.m. He, Prelims at 6 p.m. on ESPN / ESPN +).
It is a timely showcase, because the news of the retirement of the former heavyweight champion Jon Jones always feels fresh in the MMA community. Jones, 37, is the greatest of all time, and his retirement is well deserved – even if the way he chose to manage the end of his career is still somewhat confusing. By drawing his decision for six months, only for not Fight Tom Aspinall, Jones left sport in a cloud of disappointment. He expressed his interest to fight on the menu of the White House 2026 proposed, and the CEO of the UFC, Dana White, confirmed on Wednesday on “Full Send Podcast” that Jones is back in the pool of anti -doping tests.
While we are waiting to see what Jones’s next act brings, the show continues. Aspinall (15-3) was raised from the interval to an undisputed champion and said that he expects the UFC to soon announce its first defense. Meanwhile, Lewis (28-12), a 10-year-old veteran and fans favorite, will compete with one of the best in the division, Teixeira, 25, who finished each of his eight professional opponents in the first round.
There are big questions surrounding this division as it goes from Jones. Let us reset the weight category and take stock of the stars, the depth and the future competitors before the headliner of this weekend.
With Jones in retirement, is there someone on the UFC list which constitutes a serious threat to Aspinall?
It’s MMA – and heavyweight MMA on that. Each competitor of this division has a Knockout power at a blow. Historically, this was the most difficult title to defend at the UFC, because in a sense, everyone is a threat.
With this warning, no, there is no obvious threat to Aspinall at the moment.
Aspinall has already beaten three of the first six in the Divisional ranking of ESPN (Curtis Blaydes, Alexander Volkov and Sergei Pavlovich) in the first round. One of the reasons for Jones’ retirement is so disappointing. Fans do not receive the megafight they wanted, and there is no obvious Bernburners to compensate.
Another bad news for the field: Aspinall is one of the youngest heavyweights in the UFC list. So, if the current talent harvesting is struggling to offer it a challenge, do not expect the undefeated challenge of age to say either. The domination of Aspinall (seven finishes in the first round in nine appearances of the UFC) could be there for a while.
Now, for an analysis of the half glass: the game of Ciryl Gane has holes, but it absolutely has raw talent and physical attributes to give a race to Aspinall for his money. He needs to improve his skills and mental game, but if he reaches his full potential, we could see Aspinall against Gane becoming one of the great rivalries in heavy goods vehicles.
What fights should be made in 2025 to revive the heavyweight division?
Aspinall against Gane is a fantastic match that will gain steam, if the UFC then reserves it. But the one who will really restart this division – which, if we are honest, has stagnated for some time – is Aspinall against Alex Pereira.
There is a reason why Jones went to heavy goods vehicles in 2023 after a long race of the light heavyweight championship. He saw an easy window to capture a second belt. It was an intelligent affair for Jones at the time, but his retirement rejects the division at a low point. The UFC could change this story by reserving a “superfight” between Aspinall and Pereira. The problem is that Pereira, a former champion of Middleweight and Light Heavyweight, is undersized and has his own business at 205 pounds.
So, what would be otherwise excited? If Lewis receives a KO this weekend in Nashville, there will be an appetite for fans for Aspinall against Lewis. This would not have sense from the point of view of the classification, because Lewis is classified n ° 9 by the UFC, but I would not mind see this match. The 40 -year -old probably doesn’t have too many fights. Would the UFC accelerate the veteran’s path to a title shot? We have seen worse for the promotion.
Does the lack of depth with the heavy goods vehicle affect the way in which Aspinall’s reign will be considered?
The unfortunate answer: how can’t he? Jones is retired but is still part of this conversation, because it is he who has just left the undisputed title. Jones obtained his status as “greater of all time” thanks to excellence, but it certainly did not hurt that he came as a light heavyweight at a time when the division was full of big names. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Rashad Evans, Lyoto Machida, Daniel Cormier, Vitor Belfort, Chael Sonnen, Glover Teixeira, Alexander Gustafsson, Stipe Miocic – These are massive names. Aspinall’s curriculum vitae will pale in comparison with regard to familiar names, and there is nothing that he can do on this subject.
What he can do is continue to set off his opposition to Tour 1. The expectation of a stop in the first round is an incredibly high bar to erase regularly – except that this is exactly what he did. He needed a second round to finish an opponent in one of his 15 victories. If he continues to publish this kind of results, his file will stand out, even without the big names.
And Aspinall will receive a certain credit as a man who withdrew Jones without ever having to fight him.
Teixeira, 25, can she compete for a truck belt by 30?
Almost certainly, given the lack of depth in heavy goods vehicles and the possibility that ASPINALL is going through a long list of contenders in a short time. The division will need new faces such as Teixeira to intensify and intensify quickly. “The Next Big Thing” will finally appear in heavy goods vehicles, let’s hope, as soon as possible. Maybe it will be Teixeira on Saturday.
