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Heavyweight
1. Tom Aspinall (14-3) | UFC [1]
After accepting a short notice call, Aspinall rolled through Sergei Pavlovich in just 69 seconds to claim the interim heavyweight strap at UFC 295. The Team Kaobon representative has finished all seven of his promotional victories inside of two rounds, and his injury-shortened defeat to Curtis Blaydes in July 2022 is looking more and more like a blip on the radar. The Englishman’s next move will be an interim title defense against the aforementioned Blaydes at UFC 304 in Manchester, England, on July 27.2. Jon Jones (27-1, 1 NC) | UFC [2]
After a three-year absence, Jones looked as strong as ever in a new division, authoring a first-round submission triumph against Ciryl Gane in the UFC 285 headliner at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The longtime light heavyweight king was scheduled for a UFC 295 showdown with ex-heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic at Madison Square Garden for his first title defense before a torn pectoral forced him to withdraw from the bout. The hope is that Jones vs. Miocic can be rebooked at some point in 2024, with November — again at MSG — being the rumored target.3. Ciryl Gane (12-2) | UFC [3]
Gane appeared to be a level above Sergey Spivak in the UFC Fight Night 226 headliner, as he battered his opponent en route to a second-round technical knockout victory at Accor Arena in Paris. With the win, “Bon Gamin” silenced some of the doubters who emerged following his quick submission defeat at the hands of Jon Jones at UFC 285. Gane is 9-2 since making his UFC debut in 2019, and it’s a good sign that he has been able to rebound from discouraging losses to Jones and Francis Ngannou. Next, the Frenchman will meet Alexander Volkov in a rematch at UFC 308.4. Alexander Volkov (38-10) | UFC [4]
Volkov maintained his relevance in the heavyweight division at UFC on ABC 6, as he outdueled ex-sparring partner Sergei Pavlovich for three rounds to earn a unanimous verdict at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The former Bellator and M-1 Global champion has won four straight in UFC competition, matching the longest winning streak of his promotional tenure. He’ll look to extend that run when he faces Ciryl Gane in a rematch of a 2020 bout won by the Frenchman at UFC 308.5. Sergei Pavlovich (18-3) | UFC [5]
Pavlovich couldn’t get going against former training partner Alexander Volkov in the UFC on ABC co-main event, as he was picked apart for three rounds in a unanimous decision defeat at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia on June 22. After authoring a six-bout finishing streak in the Octagon over a four-year period from 2019 to 2023, the 32-year-old Russian has dropped back-to-back fights against Volkov and Tom Aspinall. That suggests Pavlovich may have hit his ceiling in the heavyweight division.6. Curtis Blaydes (18-4, 1 NC) | UFC [6]
Blaydes slowed the ascent of Jailton Almeida at UFC 299, as he stuffed a takedown and unloaded with hammerfists to the side of the head to force a stoppage 36 seconds into Round 2 of their heavyweight showdown in Miami. After a difficult opening stanza in which he was grounded repeatedly, Blaydes re-established himself as one of the top contenders in the division. A rematch with interim king Tom Aspinall at UFC 304 will be next for Blaydes, who defeated the Englishman via first-round TKO when his opponent suffered a knee injury in Round 1 of their July 2022 fight.7. Marcin Tybura (25-8) | UFC [7]
Tybura weathered the storm early, then imposed his will on the canvas for a first-round submission victory over knockout artist Tai Tuivasa in the UFC Fight Night 239 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on March 16. The Polish heavyweight rebounds from a first-round TKO defeat to Tom Aspinall in his last outing and is now 8-2 in the Octagon since 2020. While “Tybur” may never be a title contender, he remains a reliable gatekeeper for up-and-coming talents in the division. Next, Tybura will face Sergey Spivak in a rematch in the main event of a UFC card on Aug. 108. Jailton Almeida (21-3) UFC [8]
Almeida rebounded from the first loss of his Octagon tenure in emphatic fashion, submitting Alexander Romanov with a rear-naked choke in the opening round of their UFC 302 encounter at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on June 1. It was the sixth finish in UFC competition for the Brazilian known as “Maladinho,” who has his sets set on a spot on the UFC’s upcoming card in Paris.9. Sergey Spivak (16-4) UFC [9]
After seeing Jon Jones dismantle Ciryl Gane at UFC 285, perhaps Spivak thought he could utilize his wrestling to do the same in his matchup with the Frenchman at UFC Fight Night 226 in Paris. Instead, “The Polar Bear” didn’t get close to grounding Gane and was eventually overwhelmed by the varied striking of his opponent in a second-round technical knockout defeat. Spivak, who entered the fight with wins in six of his last seven outings, still has some work to do if he hopes to reach the top of the heavyweight division. He’ll next rematch Marcin Tybura in a UFC Fight Night headliner on Aug. 10.10. Renan Ferreira (13-3, 3 NC) PFL [10]
With the PFL reeling in its head-to-head matchup against Bellator on Feb. 24, Ferreira made a statement in the main event, defeating Ryan Bader via technical knockout in just 21 seconds. It’s a signature victory on the heels of a memorable 2023 campaign for “Problema,” who captured the PFL heavyweight championship. With a four-bout winning streak in tow, the 6-foot-8 Brazilian awaits a showdown with Francis Ngannou, assuming the former UFC heavyweight king elects to return to MMA.Other Contenders: Philip De Fries, Tai Tuivasa, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Derrick Lewis, Ryan Bader.
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