UFC 316 lived up to the hype—and then some. Dana White & Co. delivered a night to remember in Newark earlier this month, thrilling fans with an action-packed card that built momentum all the way to the main event: Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley 2.0. The highly anticipated rematch went into the third round, where Dvalishvili ultimately secured the finish over ‘Suga’ Sean.

The UFC also made sure to show off fighters from the area, like Joe Pyfer and Vicente Luque, who got to fight in front of their home crowd. The UFC’s 11th trip to Newark was a huge success because of the mix of local pride and high-level fights. The event sold out with 17,343 people, and the live gate brought in $6,501,177, making it the second-highest gate of 2025, behind only UFC 311 in Inglewood earlier this year.

Dana White & Co. made it a point to recognize those who helped make the event memorable—especially UFC Hall of Famer Frankie Edgar. In a LinkedIn post, UFC editor Alec Spradlin shared a heartfelt message of gratitude on behalf of both the UFC and Edgar, directed toward the New Jersey community. He wrote,

“This past weekend, Ultimate Fighting Championship held UFC 316 in Newark, New Jersey to a sold-out crowd of 17,000! To commemorate this event, I made a love letter to the Garden State, guided by none other than native New Jerseyan and UFC Hall of Fame inductee Frankie Edgar. It was a huge honor to work with so many amazing people on this piece, and I hope I did the people of New Jersey proud.”

Now that UFC Newark is in the books, MMA pundits and fans are turning their attention to what many are calling the biggest fight of the year: Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira for the vacated lightweight title, made available after Islam Makhachev’s move up to 175 pounds.

But as highly anticipated as that bout may be, it could still take a back seat to the fight fans have been waiting on for months—Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall. Once considered a heavyweight super fight in the making, that clash remains in limbo, and recent updates have only added to the uncertainty.

Dana White’s latest update on Tom Aspinall vs. Jon Jones

Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall remains one of the most anticipated yet unresolved storylines in the UFC—a long-overdue title unification bout between the undisputed champion and the interim titleholder. But despite the hype and demand, over 534 days have passed since Aspinall captured interim gold. He’s defended it just once and hasn’t stepped into the Octagon since last year, leaving fans increasingly frustrated as the British star watches his prime years slip by.

Meanwhile, Jon Jones has held the undisputed heavyweight crown for more than 800 days with just a single title defense. The extended inactivity of both champions has fueled criticism, with many fans and analysts questioning the UFC’s stewardship of its marquee division. Just weeks ago, UFC President Dana White urged fans to “relax,” promising that a fight announcement was imminent. But in a recent appearance on The Jim Rome Show, White struck a much different tone, stating:

“We’ll see how this thing plays out over the next couple of weeks. If we can’t get this fight done, we’ll move on, quickly. We’ll have the answers in the next couple of weeks,” Dana White said. “Jon Jones has been an interesting human being to deal with since the day he got here.”

Fans are still waiting for the highly anticipated Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall fight to happen, so they are wondering what other big UFC fight could take its place. Which upcoming fights do you think will have the star power and excitement to set records for the biggest live gate and most people in attendance? Please tell us what you think in the space below.