An outsider for Aspinall could be Alex Pereira, a former middleweight and light-heavyweight champion in the UFC. The Brazilian, 37, held the middleweight belt from November 2022 until April 2023, before moving up to 205lb and holding that strap from November 2023 until this March.

Tom Aspinall upgraded to undisputed UFC champion as Jon Jones confirms retirement - Aspinall elevated to full champion after Jones calls time on UFC career

Tom Aspinall kept it short and sweet - perhaps because the real work is yet to come. After UFC CEO Dana White announced that Jon Jones was retiring at the UFC Baku post-fight press conference, Aspinall reacted to the news - as well as being elevated to undisputed heavyweight champ - in a brief statement on Instagram.