Ascending to the throne earlier last summer, Tom Aspinall finally seized hold of the UFC heavyweights after reigning as interim king for over a year and a half. The announcement came following the sudden retirement of then undisputed incumbent Jon Jones. Eager to finally establish his dynasty as the ruler of the 265-lb division, the Brit swiftly booked his first defense for that next October against previous two-time title challenger Ciryl Gane at UFC 321.
Taking place in the Middle East, the world eagerly watched as the UFC’s top finisher took to the Octagon as champion for the first time. Pundits made their predictions, and writers were keen to have their stories shared or else use resources like paperwriter.com to pen their predictions.
Surprisingly, it was the Frenchman that appeared to be getting the better of Aspinall in the early goings of the bout, with Gane bloodying his nose while setting the pace of their fight. Near the end of the first round, however, tragedy would strike, as “Bon Gamin” accidentally poked Aspinall in both eyes, leading the referee to wave off the meeting as a disappointing no contest.
At the time of this writing, there hasn’t been an official word on when Aspinall will compete again, considering his schedule of surgeries both recently and upcoming. But, upon his return to the cage, the power-punching Englishman will have no shortage of worthy challengers for his UFC heavyweight crown. From skilled Muay Thai practitioners, to highly-active contenders, there are several names in the top ten at 265-lb that could give the seemingly unbeatable European a good run for his money.
These are the 3 UFC heavyweight fighters that could give Tom Aspinall a tough fight
UFC heavyweights that could give Tom Aspinall a tough fight
Cyril Gane
To say his first encounter with Aspinall ended in the most tragic of fashions would be a massive understatement, because up until the fight-ending eye pokes, Cyril Gane appeared to be doing fantastic on the feet. Although the stats told the tale of a much closer match than what was shown on screen, the Frenchman had clearly dealt the more significant damage, making the champion’s nose leak after delivering a stiff round of punches to it. In a favorable position over his fellow European, there seemed to have been hope that the third time truly was the charm for Gane before a costly mistake on his end spelt disaster for the entire event.
While some may not be too eager to see Gane receive another title shot based on his performance at UFC 321, there is no doubt a sense of unfinished business between both athletes, as well as the fanbase itself to see this rivalry come to a satisfying conclusion. Moreover, the bout did demonstrate that the MMA Factory product does have the striking skills to hang with Aspinall, and even deal notable damage to him. If there is one scrap that must take place in 2026, it is a rematch betwixt these titans to decide once and for all who can lay claim to being called the top striker in the UFC heavyweight class.
Waldo Cortes-Acosta
In 2025, Waldo Cortes-Acosta made massive waves in the UFC heavyweight category by fighting a staggering five times in the timespan of eight months. Going 4-1 in that length of activity, “Salsa Boy” had bested some of the most vaunted names in the division like Serghei Spivac, Ante Delija and Shamil Gaziev. His only defeat came at the heavy hands of Russian bruiser Sergei Pavlovich, losing to the previous interim championship challenger by decision at UFC Fight Night 257.
What makes Cortes-Acosta such an appealing threat to Aspinall is his quickly-evolving skillset, with both his kickboxing and grappling repertoire seemingly getting better each time he steps into the cage. A prime example of his Jiu-Jitsu capabilities came in his contest with the hulking Robelis Despaigne in 2024, taking down the former Olympian taekwondo fighter with ease and controlling him for 15 minutes. In all his time with the promotion, we have yet to see Aspinall actually be tested when it comes to wrestling.
The Dominican also boasts a great degree of power himself, earning nine wins as a professional by knockout. This coincides with his outstanding chin strength, with him never being stopped by strikes ever in mixed marital arts and in addition to his superb talent for avoiding damage, as the UFC stats website lists his striking defense as a solid 56%.
Alexander Volkov
Undergoing a career resurgence in recent years, Alexander Volkov almost found himself in the championship picture at UFC 310 in late 2024. Having won four bouts in a row, ending three inside the distance, the Russian squared off with Gane in what was now known as a title eliminator. Falling to “Bon Gamin” more than three years prior, Volkov was eager to exact his revenge, giving Gane an incredibly difficult second encounter with his wrestling. Sadly, “Drago” wound up losing a very controversial split decision, setting him back once again from reaching UFC gold.
Taking nearly a year off, Volkov returned to action at UFC 321, where he tangled with Brazilian steamroller Jailton Almeida, who had only lost just one tilt over the last seven years at the time. Though fireworks were expected to fly between the two towering combatants, what resulted was more of a close but slow grappling contest that saw both men have their moments. In the end, it was Volkov who walked away with the split decision victory, and in his post-fight interview, he made it clear that he wanted to contend for the UFC heavyweight belt next.
For Volkov, getting the chance to run it back with Aspinall, who had already defeated him with ease back in 2022, would be the ideal scenario for his first promotional title match. Back in their first meeting, the previous Bellator champion showed holes in his grappling that allowed Aspinall to take him down and swiftly tap him out. In the time since that night, Volkov has worked to iron out his ground work, as seen in his wins over Tai Tuivasa (who he submitted with an Ezekiel choke) and Almeida.
In terms of kickboxing, he has also demonstrated a clear growth in his accuracy and overall finishing ability. In his confrontation with Gane in particular, he was able to injure his fellow European’s foot by timing a well-executed elbow block after he tried to kick him. His greatest feat to date as a striker, however, came at UFC on ABC 6, when he went toe-to-toe with the arguably hardest-hitting UFC heavyweight in the entire company, Sergei Pavlovich. Well aware of the power his opponent held, Volkov carefully avoided the majority of his opposition’s attacks, tiring him out with body kicks and counter punches to take home a decision triumph.
Michael is an experienced writer and editor in sports media circles. As the founder and owner of Last Word On Sports INC, a partner at Sports Heroics, he brings a wealth of experience to the ownership group at Sports & Media Investors Group, LLC, which owns NYFights.com.