When the heavyweight showdown between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane was first announced, the verdict was almost unanimous before the cage door even closed. The Frenchman, brilliant on the feet but fragile on the mat, was written off early by fans and pundits alike. But on fight night, the prophecy didn’t quite play out the way everyone thought it would. 

The ‘Honey Badger’ took fingers to both of his eyes in the first round, and just like that, his first heavyweight title defense came to a surprising halt, as the bout was declared a no-contest at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi. But now that Tom Aspinall has found himself in this predicament, what exactly is next for the English heavyweight champion? 

Tom Aspinall can expect a lot of heavyweight action

There’s, of course, the need for a rematch with Ciryl Gane with such an underwhelming ending to the fight. But beyond that, if it were up to Tom Aspinall, there’s a good chance he’d want Jon Jones back inside the Octagon. While nothing is impossible, it’s hard to imagine ‘Bones’ returning to the UFC for anything less than a marquee headliner at next year’s anticipated UFC White House card. And considering how long Jones has avoided a matchup with Aspinall, even if he did come back, there’s no guarantee he’d finally agree to face the Brit.

That said, there’s another blockbuster matchup that could be on the horizon. With Alex Pereira openly expressing interest in moving up to heavyweight to challenge Jones at the White House event—and Dana White confirming that Jones won’t be getting that opportunity—it’s entirely possible the UFC books Pereira vs. Aspinall instead. Such a mega fight could serve as the perfect setup for Aspinall to eventually meet Jones down the line.

However, if neither of those big fights materializes, Aspinall already has another name in mind. Just days before his latest bout, the UFC heavyweight champion admitted he’d be open to a rematch with Alexander Volkov—but only if Volkov defeated Jailton Almeida. Now that Volkov has done exactly that, a rematch between the two seems like a realistic next step for the UFC.

Beyond those options, Aspinall could also square off against No. 9-ranked Ante Delija, who is a top-ten heavyweight Aspinall has yet to face. While Aspinall appears to have plenty of options for his next fight, his father/coach, Andy Aspinall, has even bigger plans for his son.

Andy Aspinall wants his son to leave the UFC

Tom Aspinall’s father has made it clear that he doesn’t see his son staying in the fight game forever. He believes Tom Aspinall deserves far more than what the UFC currently pays and hopes he’ll walk away from the UFC once his contract is up. 

“An American footballer, who we’ve talked to when we’re in America, he’s earning a tiny fraction of what they’re earning, and he’s one of the best in the world at doing what he does and not getting paid enough,” Andy said on Tom Aspinall’s YouTube channel.

He added that boxing’s lucrative paydays could be a better path, saying, “I’d love him to have a very highly paid boxing match for the money. The UFC ain’t paying that type of money.” For Andy, the goal is simple—once Tom’s made enough, “I’d say get out of it.”

Having said that, it seems Tom Aspinall failed to cross another name from his list. From the looks of it, there are still plenty of intriguing matchups left on the table. The question, however, is—who would you like to see him fight next?