UFC London was supposed to be a showcase, but one preliminary fight delivered a reminder of what the heavyweight division lacks: excitement. As the Fight Night is underway, it has featured a few heavyweight contests so far. Surprisingly, one fight on the preliminary card seemingly showcased why Dana White & Co. are in dire need of standout strikers like Alex Pereira and Tom Aspinall.

The fight in question was between Mario Pinto and Felipe Franco. Having a 30 lbs advantage, Pinto was expected to put on a dominating display over heavyweight debutant Franco, who is not even a natural heavyweight, as in his previous outings, he had mainly fought in the light heavyweight division.

So, technically, the odds were in favor of Pinto as an undefeated UFC heavyweight, but Franco stood up strongly against him. Although the Brazilian poured in efforts, it eventually turned into a more competitive fight wherein both fighters struggled to decisively counter each other. As such, with a three-round clinch fest, Pinto got the judges’ nod via unanimous decision, with all three scoring 29-28.

This was surely a positive result in Pinto’s favor, but as per the broader picture, it yet again highlighted how there is a lack of quality fighters in the UFC heavyweight division. Now, this isn’t some random perspective; notable UFC personalities like Joe Rogan have called out this issue.

For instance, UFC heavyweight fighters have often been criticized for their lackluster performances. One such name was Jailton Almeida, who is, coincidentally, Felipe Franco’s training partner. In Almeida’s case, many in the UFC community have pointed out his fighting style as boring, as he was seen relying heavily on ground control with minimal damage or submission attempts, something that the match makers won’t like.

As a result, Almeida was ultimately released from the leading MMA promotion. Now, this eventually brings attention to fighters who are more entertaining, such as UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall or the new entrant Alex Pereira. These two fighters in particular have an impressive record of knocking out their opponents against all adversities.

While Aspinall has seven first-round finishes since his UFC debut, Pereira has overcome a wrestling-heavy fighter like Magomed Ankalaev via TKO in his last bout, apart from knocking out multiple challengers in his UFC journey so far. Surely, with their return, it will be interesting to see how the UFC heavyweight division pans out.

But amid that, there have also been some intriguing developments. And one such recent happening even involves a potential super fight between a former UFC heavyweight champion and Pereira. While the UFC platforms’ lackluster fights like Pinto vs. Franco, it simultaneously fumbles a guaranteed blockbuster like Jones vs. Pereira over finances.

Jon Jones calls out UFC for denying him his worth for the Alex Pereira fight

While the UFC heavyweight division receives flak for a lackluster talent pool, there are serious fighters who want to come and change that. However, due to certain complications, former UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones was denied that opportunity.

For those unaware, ‘Bones’ announced his retirement in June 2025. But after the announcement of the UFC White House event, Jones wanted to come out of that phase to fight on the historic card. As his opponent, he opted for Alex Pereira and frequently teased that negotiations were coming close.

However, when the UFC White House card was announced, it shockingly had no Jones. While Dana White initially claimed that they never considered featuring ‘Bones’, the former heavyweight champion has come up with his side of the story.

“Was ready, willing, and physically able to step in,” wrote Jones on X. “I was willing to take substantially less than the Aspinall ask, but they wouldn’t budge one dollar over $15m. I felt like our fight was worth more.”

Surely, with that fight, UFC could have taken a significant step towards bringing in a legend of the sport to the heavyweight division. Irrespective of the result, that potential fight could have opened more interesting opportunities. As such, one of them could have eventually led to Jones and Tom Aspinall finally facing each other.

But UFC had its plans. And as time passes, the questions about the lackluster heavyweight talent remain persistent. On that note, how do you think the leading MMA promotion can tackle this problem? Let us know in the comments below!