Top-ranked heavyweight contender ‘Malhadinho’ suggests that the UFC book a heavyweight round-robin to determine who fights the winner of Jones vs Aspinall.
Dana White might have stated that Jon Jones will return to action in the Summer – but until an actual announcement has been made, the heavyweight title picture will continue to stall.
Luckily, one top contender has an idea as to how the promotion could figure out who should be next for the eventual winner of Jon Jones vs Tom Aspinall… A good old-fashioned grand prix.
Jailton Almeida maps out UFC heavyweight grand prix
Taking to social earlier this week, #6 ranked heavyweight contender Jailton Almeida suggested that the UFC schedule a shortened tournament in order to determine who gets the winner of Jones vs Aspinall.
“Let’s do it like this Jones x Aspinall fight for belt + a GP between the contenders: Almeida x [Alexander] Volkov this fight was already booked and I’m the only one Volkov hasn’t fought yet,” the Brazilian submission specialist stated on X.
Next, Almeida would book Ciryl Gane vs Serghei Spivac as they are “two European strikers who never fought each other,” and between those two bouts, “Who wins most impressive fight for belt.”
Only one of those four fighters already has their next fight booked – Serghei Spivac – who is scheduled to face 14-1 prospect Shamil Gaziev on a Fight Night card in May.
Almeida scored a first-round TKO win over Spivac back at UFC 311 in January; he has previously stated that he’d like to make his return to the octagon this summer.
“June will have 2 PPV cards. Sounds perfect to me!!!,” he noted on X last week, “Waiting the call… Anyone who puts me in a title fight! Gane, Volkov… Lets go!”
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Is the UFC heavyweight division ‘shallow’ by nature?
In February, Joe Rogan shared a major concern about the UFC heavyweight division, with the popular commentator claiming that the weight class had become “so shallow” in recent years.
Bloody Elbow recently caught up with British heavyweight star Mick Parkin, who competes next weekend at UFC London, about Rogan’s comments about his division’s depth.
“It’s shallow as in there’s not many fighters,” stated the 10-0 prospect, with the UFC Roster Watch website currently listing 33 active heavyweights: the second-fewest out of all weight classes.
“But it’s also the most [entertaining division] because you could have it nailed on that someone’s going to win this weekend, like ‘He is definitely going to win’ – and he can [still] get knocked out by the other guy.
“So, it’s hard to judge but yeah, it is shallow in there, not many people… That’s obviously why it is, there’s just not that many of us – which is good for me as well, I can get there [to the top] a little bit quicker.”
Only one division has fewer active fighters than heavyweight, that being the women’s bantamweight division.