The UFC heavyweight division might finally be heating up again, and Tom Aspinall is right at the center of it. After his quick, dominant win over Sergei Pavlovich to claim the interim title last year, Aspinall has been stuck waiting , first on Jon Jones, then on clarity about where the division is headed. With no movement at the top, Aspinall’s been vocal about wanting a fight that actually keeps the division moving. And the name he keeps coming back to? Ciryl Gane.
Gane hasn’t fought since his impressive win in Paris last fall, where he made easy work of Serghei Spivac. He’s still one of the most technical heavyweights in the game, with clean footwork, smooth striking, and a calm confidence that makes him tough to rattle. But his grappling holes have shown up in big moments, especially against Jones and Ngannou — which is why a fight with Aspinall is so intriguing.
Aspinall brings a different kind of speed and explosiveness to heavyweight. He’s got sharp boxing, sneaky good jiu-jitsu, and he moves like a middleweight. Stylistically, a matchup between him and Gane would be one of the best pure fights the division has seen in a long time, and a huge step toward figuring out who really deserves to be next in line for the undisputed belt.
Aspinall’s made it clear: if Jon Jones is sidelined and Stipe Miocic isn’t active, he’s ready to fight Gane next. “Let’s find out who the best active heavyweight is,” he said recently, and honestly, it’s hard to argue with that.
While that fight simmers, another massive matchup is starting to pick up steam: Islam Makhachev vs. Jack Della Maddalena. It hasn’t been officially announced, but the buzz is real, and sources say the UFC is targeting it for a fall pay-per-view.
Islam has cleaned out most of the lightweight division and seems ready to chase greatness at 170. A win over JDM would move him one step closer to becoming a two-division champion. But this wouldn’t be an easy step up.
Jack Della Maddalena is one of the most dangerous up-and-comers in the UFC. His boxing is sharp, his body work is brutal, and he’s riding a 17-fight win streak. He just looked great against Gilbert Burns, and a shot at Islam would be the biggest test of his career, and maybe one of the most exciting fights of the year.
If both of these matchups get made, the UFC could be setting up an absolutely loaded fall schedule. Whether it’s heavyweights settling unfinished business or a pound-for-pound champ daring to move up, fight fans have a lot to look forward to.