After 8 months from the time of winning the Heavyweight UFC championship, Tom Aspinall will have the first belt protection match. His opponent is Curtis Blaydes. This is one of the focal matches of UFC 304, taking place in July in the city of Manchester, the United Kingdom.
In the past, Tom Aspinall and Curtis Blaydes had encountered each other once. They confronted in July 2022. At that time, Tom Aspinall was tried to lose after only 15 seconds due to knee injury. It took him 1 year to fully recover, and at the same time achieved the same form as the present time.
On the Curtis Blaydes side, the challenge of winning the belt from Tom Aspinall is an unexpected opportunity for this boxer. He just returned after winning Jailton Almeida at UFC 299. Previously, Curtis Blaydes lost to Sergei Pavlovich, who had a higher rank than him on the UFC rankings.
Tom Aspinall was given the temporary belt UFC Heavyweight in the context of the reigning champion Jon Jones could not play for injury. At the present time, Jones is still in the process of recovery. He could return to play later this year. It was also the time when Tom Aspinall was ready to play.
However, Tom Aspinall is only eligible for belt with Jon Jones if he overcame Curtis Blaydes in the next match. Another candidate was also highly appreciated for the challenge of winning the belt from Jon Jones, Ciryl Gane, who lost to Jones in early 2023.