Don’t look now, but there’s a slow-moving crisis at heavyweight for the UFC. I know, it sounds strange. Counterintuitive, even. Here we have a division that’s arguably better and richer in talent than it has been in years, and somehow the title picture at the top is murkier than ever.
In case you’re joining this story already in progress, here’s the current situation:
Jon Jones is technically the UFC heavyweight champ. This would probably feel like a bigger deal if he hadn’t, a) won the title by beating someone who was not the champ and, b) spent the following year inactive due to various injuries.
Tom Aspinall is the interim champ with Jones out. This would also feel like a bigger and more exciting deal if the plan was for him to face Jones in order to unify the title once Jones is healthy enough to return.
Stipe Miocic is the former champ. In terms of consecutive title defenses, he’s the most successful heavyweight champ in UFC history. He’s the one who (so we’re told) has dibs on the next shot at Jones’ title. This would feel like a bigger deal if his last win weren’t in August 2020. As it is, you’ve got newish fans who’ve been following this sport for nearly the length of a presidential term of office yet have never seen Miocic win a fight.
Then there are all the other heavyweights. You could sort them into two classes: guys who might suddenly matter if they win one or two of the right fights in the next year (Sergei Pavlovich, Ciryl Gane, maybe Curtis Blaydes) and guys who are mostly looked at as UFC Fight Night fodder (Shamil Gaziev versus Jairzinho Rozenstruik in this Saturday’s main event from the UFC Apex, for example).
Looming over all of this is the ghost of Francis Ngannou, who still haunts the UFC’s heavyweight division even from afar. He was, in many ways, the first domino to fall. Ngannou is how we got here. He knocked out Miocic to claim the UFC heavyweight title, then decisioned Gane to keep it. But after the UFC failed to cough up the money to make an actual mega-fight between Ngannou and Jones, he opted to wait out his contract and then bolt for boxing, where he’s already on pace to make many more millions than he would have if he’d stayed.
When Ngannou left, it created a vacuum. No longer could someone become the UFC heavyweight champ by beating the UFC heavyweight champ. It simply wasn’t an option. The next best thing was having Jones, the greatest light heavyweight in MMA history, go up to fight for the vacant belt.
But see, here’s where it gets weird. Jones seems to have it in his head that he absolutely must fight Miocic next. UFC president Dana White also continues to act like this is the only sensible option. There may only be three people in the entire world who want Jones versus Miocic for the UFC heavyweight title next. It’s just too bad those three people are Jones, Miocic and White.
Trouble is, no matter who wins that fight, we might very well end up without a UFC heavyweight champion. Miocic will be 42 this summer and already has one foot out the door. Jones has hinted in a series of unsubtle ways that he plans to retire after this fight, especially if he wins. White can see that trouble coming and is already working to head it off by suggesting that it would sure be really super nice if the heavyweight champ would stick around long enough to fight the interim heavyweight champ.
“I think there’s almost like a courtesy, if you will,” White told Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby recently during Crosby’s endless podcast tour. “If you’re looked at as one of the GOATs, whoever wins this [Jones versus Miocic] fight, it’s almost like a courtesy thing to give [Aspinall] the shot, give him an opportunity to win.
Winning against someone like Aspinall would solidify either man’s status as a heavyweight great, with no room for criticism. It would be a tough and risky feat, but it would be worth it in the end.
In the world of professional fighting, courtesy takes a back seat. Promoters like White focus on the bottom line, and fighters should do the same considering the risks involved.
The solution is clear – Jones should face Aspinall next. This is the purpose of having an interim heavyweight title, to determine the next contender. While Miocic has had a stellar career, it wouldn’t make sense for him to get a title shot now after his loss to Ngannou years ago.
This heavyweight dilemma can be avoided by following the logical path of competition. However, the fight business operates differently, with its own set of rules. Money talks where courtesy falls short.
Ultimately, the UFC missed out on Ngannou versus Jones due to financial reasons. To make amends and bring clarity to the division, Jones should face Aspinall, a fight that would surely draw a larger audience and revenue. It’s time to prioritize the heavyweight division and make decisions that make sense both competitively and financially.