4 fighters who could face Tom Aspinall for the UFC heavyweight title if Jon Jones vacates 

Right now, the fight that most UFC fans want to see is a heavyweight title unification bout between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall. Whether it happens, though, remains to be seen.

Current reports suggest Jon Jones may retire and vacate his title rather than fight Tom Aspinall. If that happens, what should the UFC do?

The most logical path would be to simply match Aspinall with someone else for the undisputed title. Right now, though, the promotion just doesn't have that many options to face the UK star.

Here are four fighters who could face Tom Aspinall for the UFC heavyweight title if Jon Jones vacates.

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#4. Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane

The most obvious choice to face Tom Aspinall for the undisputed heavyweight title from a rankings perspective would be Ciryl Gane.

'Bon Gamin' is currently ranked at No.2 in the division, behind only Aspinall and Jon Jones, and he would be coming into a prospective fight with the Brit on a two-fight win streak.

Gane would also be a fresh foe for Aspinall, as he's one of the few ranked heavyweights that hasn't already fought him. A proven elite-level fighter, the Frenchman would be a fair test for the Liverpool native. However, there are also some drawbacks to this choice.

Firstly, a lot of fans believed Gane lost his last fight to Alexander Volkov and was lucky to come away with a decision win.

Secondly, Gane lost to Jones and Francis Ngannou in relatively comfortable fashion when he faced them. If he were to beat Aspinall, it would arguably make the UFC's heavyweight division look weaker by proxy.

The promotion could simply bank on Aspinall winning this fight comfortably, as it does make logical sense, but equally, they feel more likely to look elsewhere.

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#3. Tom Aspinall vs. Jailton Almeida

If the UFC chooses to overlook Ciryl Gane, they may have to go further down the rankings to find a suitable foe for Tom Aspinall. That's because the UK star has beaten the fighters ranked at No.3, No.4, and No.5 handily in recent years.

If that's the case, then No.6 ranked Jailton Almeida might find himself in line for the biggest fight of his career.

'Malhadinho' has an impressive record of 22-3, and has won eight of his nine bouts in the octagon since signing with the UFC in 2021. He's riding a two-fight win streak and has beaten Derrick Lewis, Sergei Spivac, and Jairzinho Rozenstruik pretty comfortably.

On paper at least, Almeida has the size, power, and athleticism to test Aspinall. However, his lone defeat came to Curtis Blaydes, who was iced by Aspinall in his last bout, which might put the matchmakers off.

Add in the fact that 'Malhadinho' is not yet the biggest name with the fans, and he may well have to win at least one more fight before a title shot comes. In the future, though, he's definitely a man to watch.

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#2. Tom Aspinall vs. Alexander Volkov

Arguably, Alexander Volkov ought to be sitting at a career-high No.1 ranking in the UFC heavyweight division right now. Most fans felt that he'd done enough to outpoint the current No.1 Ciryl Gane in their clash at UFC 310 last October, including Dana White.

Had he been given that decision, he'd be riding a five-fight win streak right now, the best in the top ten behind Tom Aspinall and Jon Jones. So, could the UFC look to match 'Drago' with the British fighter to decide the next undisputed champion?

It'd be a big reward for the Russian veteran, who has beaten the likes of Sergei Pavlovich, Alistair Overeem, and Fabricio Werdum during his nine-year stint with the promotion.

The drawback, though, is the fact that Volkov's last loss came to Aspinall, and the fight wasn't at all competitive. Aspinall overwhelmed him in a single round, submitting him with an armlock.

Would there be any interest in a rematch, particularly as 'Drago' is not a star with casual fans? Probably not, but if there's a lack of other options, the UFC may need to go in this direction regardless.

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#1. Tom Aspinall vs. Alex Pereira

The UFC is no stranger to booking left-field title fights, particularly in the dearth of other options that might appeal to casual fans.

In this case, if Jon Jones really does vacate his title and hang up his gloves, none of the aforementioned options to face Tom Aspinall would be truly huge fights.

Therefore, the promotion could pull an ace out of their sleeve, and match Aspinall with former light-heavyweight champion Alex Pereira to decide the next undisputed heavyweight king.

Are there some drawbacks to this? Of course. Firstly, 'Poatan' has never fought at heavyweight in the octagon before and would be jumping the queue.

Secondly, he's coming off a defeat to Magomed Ankalaev in a razor-close fight that saw him lose his 205-pound crown. Due to this, most fans are expecting a rematch, although it has not been officially announced yet.

Thirdly, Aspinall is a giant of a man who stands at 6ft 5in and weighs over 250 pounds. Pereira would be giving up a lot of size to the big Brit.

With that said, would any of that really matter? Over the past few years, Pereira has become one of the UFC's poster boys, never really letting them down at the big moment.

He's also carved out a reputation as a fighter who can pull off the unexpected, and in his coffin nail left hand, he carries a weapon capable of turning the lights out on anyone.

Most importantly, he's a big name with the fans, who would buy into the idea of him attempting to become the UFC's first-ever three-division champion.

Given Jones was already trying to persuade the UFC to book him in a fight with 'Poatan', then the promotion could definitely do worse than match him with Aspinall to decide the next undisputed champion.