Opinion: UFC Should Eye an Interim Champion

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All sports fans are harsh. Given the nature of mixed martial arts, its fans are even harsher. It doesn’t make much sense to call someone who steps into a contained space to get punched in the face repeatedly a pansy—or anything akin to a pansy—but MMA fans often do so. With that in mind, it comes as little surprise that many are labeling undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight titleholder Tom Aspinall a coward after he had his eyeballs penetrated by Cyril Gane’s fingers at UFC 321 in October.

I would like to think after Aspinall announced that he plans to undergo a pair of surgeries on his eyes that the haters would lay off, but I know better. There are now claims that Aspinall is scheduling surgery to purposely delay a rematch with Gane because most thought the Frenchman was ahead on the scorecards in their first encounter—after less than a round was completed. And we all know that the trajectory of a fight can’t change after a single round, right? Their logic knows no bounds.

There have also been calls to strip Aspinall of the championship due to his being sidelined for the foreseeable future. More reasonable folks have asked for an interim title fight instead. While there’s a part of me that absolutely hates the idea of yet another such belt in the heavyweight division—the weight class is responsible for seven of the 24 interim champions in the UFC’s history—it would absolutely be the right move to make in this instance.


The top of the heavyweight division has been a mess for years. Since Francis Ngannou successfully defended his title against Gane in January 2022, the undisputed championship has been up for grabs just three times. That was almost four years ago. By comparison, Merab Dvalishvili put the bantamweight title on the line four times in 2025 alone. Even the women’s bantamweight crown has been at stake five times in that timeframe, with a sixth title fight on the way in a matter of weeks.

Granted, I’m not including interim championships in those totals, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that the heavyweight division has been in constant flux. Spats between UFC management and two former champions in Ngannou and Jon Jones held up the weight class to the detriment of everyone. I understand the position in which Ngannou and Jones found themselves, but their actions have crippled the division. Right when it seemed like we were going to have an active champion in Aspinall, he gets hurt through no fault of his own.

UFC Set a Precedent with Dominick Cruz

In an ideal world, there wouldn’t be a need for interim championship. That world does not exist at the moment, and Aspinall’s injury further clouds the situation. He shouldn’t be stripped of his title due to an injury, at least not before being given a reasonable amount of time to recover. No one knows how long it will take Aspinall to recuperate. Eyes are more sensitive than most organs. Given that the UFC once granted Dominick Cruz over two years without a title defense before he was stripped, it’s fair to say that two months isn’t nearly enough time to declare Aspinall unfit for office. Creating an interim title allows him proper time to recover without rushing back too soon. More importantly, it gives the rest of the division something for which to strive.

While interim championships obviously do not carry the same prestige as undisputed titles, being an interim champion beats being no champion at all. Fighters like Carlos Condit, Tony Ferguson and Dustin Poirier once carried the mantle. That’s not a bad class to join. There are plenty of hungry heavyweights ready and willing to compete for an interim title. Alexander Volkov is tied for the most wins in the division since he made his UFC debut in 2016, but he has somehow never fought for a championship inside the Octagon. Many believe he was robbed in his rematch with Gane at UFC 310. Had the result been different, Volkov would have been the man facing Aspinall in October. He would make for a fine opponent against Gane if the UFC decided to introduce an interim championship. Should the UFC wish to avoid a third meeting between them, Waldo Cortes-Acosta holds a 9-2 record in the organization and figures to have a decent shot at a 10th win before the end of January. He takes on Derrick Lewis at UFC 324.


If Aspinall misses a prolonged amount of time, even more options are available. Sergei Pavlovich has strung together consecutive wins after his losses to Aspinall and Volkov. Another impressive knockout could get him right back in the picture. The same could be said of Jailton Almeida, who finds himself on the rebound following a controversial defeat to Volkov at UFC 321. Perhaps Curtis Blaydes looks refreshed after a recent surgery of his own. Maybe someone like Ngannou or Vadim Nemkov could make their way over to the UFC and immediately challenge for the interim title. A number of realistic scenarios could play out to allow the weight class to move forward without Aspinall.

The bottom line? The rest of the division deserves a chance to fight for something in Aspinall’s stead. It was on hold while Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier completed their trilogy. It was on hold when Ngannou fought it out with UFC brass. It was on hold when Jones was busy, well, being Jones. Now, it could be on hold due to an unfortunate injury.

Aspinall should be treated fairly, as should his would-be successors. There are times to put a weight class on hold, but this isn’t one of them. The heavyweight division needs to move forward, and it needs an interim champion to do so.