UFC’s heavyweight division has been in limbo for some time now, with Tom Aspinall out with a double eye injury. The big boys do not excite the rosters anymore. When did it become such a blight on the UFC’s regularly scheduled programming? The bigger-bodied fighters used to carry with them a premonition of bad things to come in the best way possible. But now watching heavyweights is like watching a loading screen that forgot what it’s loading. According to UFC veteran Brendan Schaub, Dana White needs to sign some recognizable names.

Brendan Schaub just gave the promotion a reality check on their heavyweight roster. Schaub, in a recent post, talks about how, at one time, the UFC could fill out an entire main card of heavyweights and sell it to the public, which they did a little over a decade ago. And now the division sits stagnant and with little to look forward to.

Brendan Schaub urges Dana White to fix the heavyweight division

“The heavyweight division is so bad. It’s such a shell of what it used to be. Even when I thought it used to be so good, go back and watch PRIDE heavyweight Grand Prixes, even Bellator 10 years ago was better than this current heavyweight division in the UFC,” said Schaub in a podcast clip on X.

He added, “If they signed Rico, if they came to an understanding with Francis, if they signed Gable Steveson, we’re at least cooking with some gas that makes it exciting. Dana’s issue with Francis, but then Dana says he doesn’t really deal with the guys anymore. So it’s like, then somebody needs to step in and go, ‘Hey man, this heavyweight division is dying, if not dead.’” By ‘Rico,’ Schaub obviously meant Rico Verhoeven.

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Rico ranks as the #1 heavyweight kickboxer in the world and has also been training with the undisputed heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall, many times, which suggests he might want to fight in MMA promotions soon. In recent news, Turki Alalshaikh has also called for a crossover bout between Oleksandr Usyk and Verhoeven, with no confirmation of this yet. 

And, Jon Jones protege Gable Steveson is someone to keep an eye out for if signed into the UFC heavyweight division. Gable Steveson is an Olympic wrestling gold medalist, a 2-time NCAA Division I national champion, and a 5-time All-American. He also holds several other accolades. Steveson made his MMA debut last year at LFA 217 against Braden Peterson and won via technical knockout in the first round. Signing him would reignite the heat in the heavyweight division. Steveson currently boasts a professional MMA record of 2-0 and is going to face Hugo Lezama (11-3) later this month at MFL 3.

Brendan continued his rant: “Your current heavyweight champ is having serious eye surgery. He’s out for nine months. Jon Jones wants one more—you do it at the White House against Alex Pereira, okay. And I know Dana White has an issue with Francis, but he’s by far the biggest free agent out there.”

And Dana White’s issues with fighters are spoken of as classic folklore in the combat world. In the early 2020s, UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou had his star power questioned by White. In January 2023, Ngannou departed from the UFC and vacated his UFC Heavyweight Championship as he felt that he was disrespected by White and the UFC, as he wasn’t offered as much as he believed he was worth. Since then, Dana has taken advantage of any opportunity he’s given to critique Ngannou.

Schaub is not wrong; the heavyweight division has turned into a sinkhole, and only signing this banger group of fighters can save the division.

Jon Jones admits fear for UFC heavyweights

Jon Jones suggests a new name for the UFC heavyweight division, which feels like it’s losing its spark. According to Jon Jones, the rising MMA star will be a UFC champion by this time next year. ‘Bones’ recently admitted that Steveson possesses superior athleticism to his own abilities during his initial career development stages, and the 25-year-old is going to “wreck” people in the UFC heavyweight division. In a recent interview, Jones said: “He’s way more disciplined and dedicated than I ever was at his age, and I’m scared. I’m scared for the future of the UFC. Like, he is going to wreck sh*t. He’s gonna wreck people.”

“This time next year, I could see it happening [Gable Steveson becoming UFC champ]. Once he signs with the UFC, there’s gonna be no stopping him. He can strike, and I think that’s his weakness right now. His grappling is just through the roof. His takedowns are unstoppable to stop, his ground and pound is effective, and his sense of knowing where his body is at all times. He just has it all. And once he really learns what he’s doing, it’s not gonna be fair.”

Will Dana White eventually sign this fire set of fighters to keep the heavyweight division moving? Let us know your opinion in the comments.