This past Saturday night in the co-main event of UFC 304, the interim heavyweight title was on the line in a rematch. Interim champ Tom Aspinall (15-3) was looking to defend his title and avenge his only loss inside the octagon against top contender Curtis “Razor” Blaydes (18-5, 1 NC).
These two originally fought back in 2022 but the fight ended in just seconds after Aspinall blew out his knee. While Blaydes had the win on his record, I never really considered it to be a true victory. However, the narrative going into the fight was that Blaydes had a win over Aspinall.
When I wrote my preview and prediction article on Friday, I thought I was coming across as a hater of Curtis Blaydes. While Blaydes is certainly a top heavyweight, I didn’t think he had a realistic chance to defeat the interim UFC heavyweight champion. I just didn’t see a path forward and I predicted a first round finish for Aspinall.
Blaydes did come out and land some solid shots in the opening minute and he got overzealous because of it. That’s something he’s admitted to in his first statement after the fight. Blaydes stayed on the feet with Aspinall and Aspinall made him pay finishing him right at the one minute mark of the first round.
What’s next after UFC 304?
From here, Aspinall’s attention will turn to Madison Square Garden in November. In November, Jon Jones is going to defend the heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic. This fight was supposed to be last November, but Jones tore his pec just before the fight. That injury led to Aspinall defeating Sergei Pavlovich for the interim title.
The Jones – Miocic fight is going to happen as both men want this fight for their legacy. It’s the greatest of all time versus the greatest heavyweight in UFC history. Aspinall’s next fight is going to be against the winner, we think. If Stipe Miocic wins, it’s been indicated that he would likely retire. There’s nothing really left for Miocic at this point so win or lose, i think Miocic will retire.
Jon Jones is another story. Jones is motivated by challenges and I think Aspinall would likely be the toughest challenge of his career. The UFC heavyweight champion turns 38 next year and I think Aspinall would be his last great challenge. If Jones wins, I think the Aspinall fight happens early next year and it would be the biggest fight in the history of the heavyweight division.