Heavy lift: Can Aspinall carry the UFC's heavyweight division with Jones retired?

After a uncommon week off, the UFC is backmost successful enactment this play with a heavyweight main lawsuit betwixt Derrick Lewis and Tallison Teixeira astatine UFC Fight Night from Nashville, Tennessee (9 p.m. ET, prelims astatine 6 p.m. connected ESPN/ESPN+).

It's a timely showcase, arsenic quality of erstwhile heavyweight champion Jon Jones' status inactive feels caller wrong the MMA community. Jones, 37, is the top of each time, and his status is well-deserved -- adjacent if the mode helium opted to grip the extremity of his vocation is inactive somewhat puzzling. By drafting retired his determination for six months, lone to not combat Tom Aspinall, Jones near the athletics successful a cloud of disappointment. He has expressed involvement successful warring connected the projected 2026 White House card, and UFC CEO Dana White confirmed Wednesday connected "Full Send Podcast" that Jones is backmost successful the anti-doping investigating pool.

While we hold to spot what Jones' adjacent enactment brings, the amusement goes on. Aspinall (15-3) has been elevated from interim to undisputed champion and has said helium expects the UFC to denote his archetypal rubric defence soon. Meanwhile, Lewis (28-12), a 10-year seasoned and instrumentality favorite, volition quadrate disconnected with 1 of the division's champion up-and-comers, 25-year-old Teixeira, who has finished each of his 8 nonrecreational opponents successful the archetypal round.

There are large questions surrounding this part arsenic it moves connected from Jones. Let's reset the value people and instrumentality banal of the stars, the extent and aboriginal contenders up of this weekend's headliner.

With Jones retired, is determination anyone connected the UFC roster who poses a superior menace to Aspinall's title?

This is MMA -- and heavyweight MMA astatine that. Every contender successful this part has one-punch knockout power. Historically, this has been the hardest rubric to support successful the UFC, due to the fact that successful a sense, everyone is simply a threat.

With that disclaimer retired of the way, no, determination are nary evident threats to Aspinall close now.

Aspinall already has beaten 3 of the apical six successful ESPN's divisional rankings (Curtis Blaydes, Alexander Volkov and Sergei Pavlovich) wrong the archetypal round. Aspinall's résumé is 1 crushed Jones' status is truthful disappointing. Fans don't get the megafight they wanted, and determination aren't evident barnburners to marque up for it.

One much spot of atrocious quality for the field: Aspinall is 1 of the youngest elite heavyweights connected the UFC roster. So if the existent harvest of endowment struggles to connection him a challenge, don't expect the undefeated situation of property to person its say, either. Aspinall's dominance (seven first-round finishes successful 9 UFC appearances) mightiness beryllium astir for immoderate time.

Now for immoderate glass-half-full analysis: Ciryl Gane's crippled has holes, but helium perfectly has the earthy endowment and carnal attributes to springiness Aspinall a tally for his money. He needs to level up his accomplishment acceptable and intelligence game, but if helium reaches his afloat potential, we could spot Aspinall vs. Gane go 1 of the large rivalries successful heavyweight history.

What fights request to beryllium made successful 2025 to reignite the heavyweight division?

Aspinall vs. Gane is simply a fantastic matchup that volition summation steam, should the UFC publication it next. But the 1 that would truly restart this part -- which, if we're honest, has been stagnant for immoderate clip -- is Aspinall vs. Alex Pereira.

There's a crushed Jones moved up to heavyweight successful 2023 pursuing a agelong airy heavyweight title run. He saw an casual model to seizure a 2nd belt. It was astute concern for Jones then, but his status throws the part close backmost to a debased point. The UFC could alteration that communicative by booking a "superfight" betwixt Aspinall and Pereira. The occupation is Pereira, a erstwhile champion astatine middleweight and airy heavyweight, is undersized and has his ain concern near astatine 205 pounds.

So what other would drum up excitement? If Lewis gets a knockout this play successful Nashville, determination volition beryllium instrumentality appetite for Aspinall vs. Lewis. It wouldn't marque consciousness from a rankings perspective, arsenic Lewis is ranked No. 9 by the UFC, but I wouldn't caput seeing that matchup. The 40-year-old astir apt doesn't person excessively galore fights left. Would the UFC accelerate the veteran's way to a rubric shot? We've seen worse for the involvement of promotion.

Does the deficiency of extent astatine heavyweight impact however Aspinall's reign volition beryllium viewed?

The unfortunate answer: How tin it not? Jones is retired but inactive a portion of this conversation, arsenic he's the 1 who conscionable vacated the undisputed title. Jones earned his presumption arsenic "greatest of each time" done excellence, but it surely didn't wounded that helium came on arsenic a airy heavyweight astatine a clip erstwhile the part was afloat of large 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 monolithic names. Aspinall's résumé volition airy successful examination erstwhile it comes to household names, and there's thing helium tin bash astir that.

What helium tin bash is proceed to starch his absorption successful Round 1. The anticipation of a first-round stoppage is an impossibly precocious barroom to wide connected a regular ground -- but that's precisely what he's done. He has needed a 2nd circular to decorativeness an hostile successful 1 of his 15 wins. If helium continues to station those kinds of results, his grounds volition basal out, adjacent without the large names.

And Aspinall volition person immoderate recognition arsenic the antheral who retired Jones without ever needing to combat him.

Can Teixeira, 25, vie for a heavyweight loop by 30?

Almost certainly, considering the deficiency of extent astatine heavyweight and the anticipation of Aspinall moving done a agelong database of contenders successful abbreviated order. The part volition request caller faces specified arsenic Teixeira to measurement up, and measurement up fast. "The adjacent large thing" volition amusement up astatine heavyweight eventually, hopefully sooner alternatively than later. Maybe it'll beryllium Teixeira connected Saturday.