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The arrival of Jon Jones among the heavyweights was supposed to be a real revival for the UFC's heavyweight division. After Francis Ngannou left, there was a void, and everyone counted on the American fighter to be the star to fill that space. Many believed that the 37-year-old would often perform even after winning the belt, and that he would set new records in another category and cement himself as the greatest MMA fighter in history.
However, the situation did not turn out exactly as the fans wished. He won the belt in March 2023, held it until recently, but managed to defend it only once. He made that only defense of the title in November last year, when he defeated Stipe Miočić. Although the former champion was not officially retired, he was out of the Octagon for more than three and a half years, and he fought the match at the age of 42. It is difficult to call that defense "great", because Stipe was far from his true form and the peak of his career.
A difficult situation and a new champion
After that one title defense, Jon continued to hold the belt but didn't do a match against Tom Aspinall, which slowed down the entire heavyweight division. In the end, he decided not to go for that fight and informed the UFC a few days ago that he was retiring. Aspinall was thus declared the new champion.
Although some regret that we did not see that duel Jones vs. Aspinall, Cyril Gane, currently the number one challenger in the rankings, said he was pleased with Jones' departure.
"First of all, great respect for Jon Jones and his career. But now things are clearer and we can make new plans. It opens up the possibility of choosing another challenger for Aspinall," the French fighter told UFC Unfiltered.
Ghana are currently the main contenders for the next title fight. He won the last two matches, although his victory against Aleksandar Volkov was debatable. He believes that he will be the next one to attack the belt.
“My manager Fernand Lopez has spoken to Hunter Campbell about matchmaking and I know they are working on it. We are in touch, waiting for more agreements on the date and venue. We strongly believe that this fight (Aspinall vs. Gane) will take place, because I am the first challenger. The second is Volkov who has already lost to Aspinall, and I have beaten Volkov twice. The third is Sergey Pavlovich who has also already lost to Aspinall,” he added.
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