Tom Aspinall is not short of options for his first undisputed UFC heavyweight title defence.
The long-suffering interim title holder was finally upgraded to full champion on Saturday night following Jon Jones’ retirement from MMA.
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Aspinall spent almost two years chasing a fight with ‘Bones’.
During which time, he set the unwanted record of becoming the longest-reigning interim champion in UFC history.
MMA’s premier promotion had worked tirelessly to get a clash between Jones and Aspinall over the line.
And despite Dana White’s assurance that the blockbuster showdown would be made, it wasn’t to be.
Aspinall is now expected to defend his belt against a new challenger, although picking the most worthy opponent at heavyweight isn’t as straightforward as it would be in other divisions.
Here, talkSPORT.com explains why, as we look at four of the most likely opponents for Aspinall’s next fight.
Ciryl Gane
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Gane is the highest-ranked fighter (No.2) at heavyweight, and would therefore be the frontrunner to face Aspinall next.
However, the Frenchman has already fallen to defeat in two world title shots against Francis Ngannou and Jones.
Meanwhile, his points win over Alexander Volkov in his last outing was incredibly controversial.
19 of 20 media scorecards ruled the fight in Volkov’s favour, but two of the three cageside judges gave it to Gane via split decision.
In the immediate aftermath, a bewildered White told Volkov: “You got f***ed.
“You got f***ed. I don’t know what we’ll do, but we’ll try and make it right. You understand what I’m saying?”
Alexander Volkov
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White might ‘make it right’ for Volkov by elevating him straight into a world title shot.
The UFC have granted their athletes title fights fresh off losses before, and given the controversy surrounding Volkov’s last defeat, MMA fans are unlikely to complain.
Prior to the setback, the Russian was riding a four-fight winning streak over Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Alexander Romanov, Tai Tuivasa, and Sergei Pavlovich.
He remains the next highest ranked fighter (No.3) behind Gane.
Jailton Almeida
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Skipping over Sergei Pavlovich and Curtis Blaydes, who have already lost to Aspinall, Almeida is next up at No.6 in the UFC heavyweight ratings.
The Brazilian is 8-1 under the UFC banner, with his sole blemish coming against Blaydes last March via second-round knockout.
Since then, he has bounced back to win his last two bouts over Romanov and Serghei Spivac inside the opening stanza, while he has already called out Aspinall on social media.
“Congrats champ,” Almeida tweeted shortly after it was announced that Aspinall is the new champion.
“You deserve that. Now, let’s make the only fight that make sense! Aspinall vs Almeida for undisputed HW title of the world.
“Gane ducks you and me before, already fought for the belt and lost 2-times, and his last win was a robbery.”
Alex Pereira
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With Jones retired, the most commercially viable fight in the heavyweight division is Aspinall vs Pereira.
The former middleweight and light heavyweight UFC champion has previously teased the idea of moving up to heavyweight and is currently walking around at 243.8lbs.
Given his body of work and the absence of a clear No.1 contender, the UFC could justify giving Pereira an immediate world title shot as he makes a play at becoming the first three-weight UFC champion of all time.