Francis Ngannou, Stipe Miocic, Jon Jones, and even before them Brock Lesnar, Cain Velasquez, or Daniel Cormier. The heavyweight division has long been the UFC’s most legendary weight class. Yet in recent months, it has delivered dull fights with an extremely average overall level.
In June 2025, Dana White made a major announcement: Jon Jones, one of the greatest legends in the sport, retired. With that news, interim champion Tom Aspinall became the undisputed champion. A few months later, he faced Ciryl Gane in Abu Dhabi for his first title defense. After one minute of action, and early dominance from Gane, the fight ended abruptly following an eye poke that prevented the champion from continuing.
Since then, Aspinall has undergone multiple surgeries simply to recover his vision. A version of events many fans dispute, seeing instead an attempt to avoid a rematch with the Frenchman. Gane, for his part, seems to understand the situation: his next fight is unlikely to be against Aspinall, but rather against Alex Pereira, the terror of the lower division, who could move up in an attempt to become the first three-division champion.
Behind them, the overall level of the division raises questions. Waldo Cortes-Acosta appears to be the only prospect with real credibility, and he could run into Alexander Volkov, a solid No. 3 contender but clearly a step below the fighters ranked above him. Further down, many fighters struggle to put together convincing performances, leading to situations where someone like Curtis Blaydes, a top-five fighter, is matched up against Josh Hokit, who has only two UFC fights and is unranked. Meanwhile, Tai Tuivasa remains in the top 15 despite six consecutive losses.
And perhaps most telling : Jailton Almeida, once seen as a major prospect in the division, has reportedly been released from the organization after two dull defeats.
The underlying issue with the division is structural. Many of the best athletes, particularly in the United States, gravitate toward football or basketball, sports that seek the same physical profiles while offering salaries that can be ten times higher without absorbing daily head trauma. A potential solution might be higher fighter pay combined with the development of a collegiate pipeline tied to wrestling, allowing the UFC to attract these athletes earlier ?
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