EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsIt's been a year since UFC CEO Dana White announced the retirement of Jon Jones, his reigning heavyweight champion and the greatest fighter in the company's history, during a news conference after an event in Baku, Azerbaijan.The "announcement," which took place on June 21, 2025, essentially cratered the heavyweight division. Tom Aspinall, the then-interim champion, was unceremoniously promoted to undisputed champion but lacked an exciting challenger. Not only did Aspinall miss out on a superfight against Jones, he also inherited a stale, uninspiring class of potential opponents. Morale around the state of the weight class was so low that White's Baku announcement actually fit the situation.How much has changed in the year since? The answer is a lot and nothing at all at the same time. The UFC is back in Baku this weekend for a UFC Fight Night, and its heavyweight division once again has an interim champ (Ciryl Gane) and an undisputed champ who might never fight in the UFC again (Aspinall). Jones is retired, but no one really believes he means it, which was the feeling a year ago when it was first announced.Let's take a look at the key heavyweight events of the past 365 days and gauge on a scale from 1 to 10 how each storyline increased or decreased heavyweight morale.June 21, 2025: White announces Jones' retirementMorale: 0/10White essentially represented all fight fans when he made this announcement. The UFC -- and MMA in general -- had been waiting more than six months for a fight between Jones and Aspinall to come together, only to see Jones walk away. White was visibly frustrated and has since admitted that he thought a fight was done on multiple occasions. The worst part of all the fuss was that it ruined Aspinall's well-deserved "champion" moment.July 16, 2025: Jones walks back retirementMorale: -10/10On The ESPYS red carpet -- less than a month after White announced Jones' retirement -- Jones declared on camera, "I'm back." Jones cited the UFC's plans to hold an event at the White House as his reason for unretiring. To the MMA world, it was salt in a wound. The idea of a legend like Jones facing a new-breed, in-his-prime heavyweight who had been finishing opponents in the first round would have made for the biggest UFC fight in years. It was demoralizing for Jones to make the world wait, only to retire then unretire less than a month later.Oct. 25, 2025: Eye poke ends undisputed title fight in no-contestMorale: 5/10This result in Aspinall's first title defense against Gane was almost unfathomable. One of the worst things about heavyweight over the past two years has been its inability to move. It had essentially been on hold since Jones won a questionable title fight against Stipe Miocic in 2024. After that fight and the Jones-Aspinall saga of 2025, it's cruel that the first heavyweight title fight in two years ended in a no-contest.However, morale actually made a significant jump up because of how Gane performed, despite a pair of eye pokes. Gane entered UFC 321 as a significant betting underdog. Aspinall was expected to run through him, and everyone after that. The entire division lacked a sense of drama because Aspinall was so far ahead. But for one round, Gane looked to be getting the better of Aspinall. So even though the result was incredibly disappointing, there was finally a glimmer of hope for the future. Perhaps things were looking up.Feb. 10, 2026: Aspinall undergoes eye surgeryMorale: 1/10Annnnnd, we're back to feeling pretty bad about heavyweight. Four months after his fight with Gane, Aspinall revealed he was still suffering from double vision and a lack of eye movement in both eyes. That meant that a rematch against Gane -- the one interesting heavyweight fight -- was indefinitely delayed. The operation also cast real doubt on whether Aspinall would ever fight again.March 7, 2026: Pereira vs. Gane for the interim championship at the White House announcedMorale: 6/10The announcement of Alex Pereira vs. Gane didn't exactly feel like a blockbuster moment, but two-division champion Pereira's move up to heavyweight provided an enormous boost. Even with "Poatan" joining the mix, the division is still thin, but adding one of MMA's biggest stars created instant intrigue. And the interim championship stakes at least suggested that a unification bout is down the road.So, Jones vs. Aspinall didn't happen nor did Aspinall vs. Gane II -- but Pereira adds a new layer that puts the weight class on a better track for divisional hierarchy and big matchups. At least we're moving, right?April 11, 2026: Hokit defeats Blaydes in UFC 327 fight of the nightMorale: 6.5/10Watching this three-round slugfest left fight fans cautiously optimistic that the heavyweight division was improving. In the weeks leading up to UFC 327 in Miami, reports surfaced that Aspinall had begun doing light training and Jones had expressed interest in reentering the fray against Pereira. And now, what is this? New talent at heavyweight? It's been so long since there was new talent to get excited about.Hokit, of course, comes with asterisks. His pro wrestling style fell somewhat flat when he debuted it in 2025, but it appeared to touch a nerve in the UFC 327 buildup. He caught fire for his actions in the Octagon after a back-and-forth, middle finger-filled fight against Blaydes. Hokit made such an impression that the UFC added him to the White House card that night opposite Derrick Lewis. Few embraced Hokit's brashness, but he backed it up by breaking into the top five of the UFC rankings after defeating Blaydes. There was one more thread of intrigue for the heavyweight division.June 14, 2026: Gane wins interim championship; Hokit alienates himselfMorale: 3/10And here is where we land today. Gane looked terrific at UFC Freedom 250, but his second-round knockout of Pereira was clouded by questionable strikes near the back of Pereira's head. Gane is a serious -- and perhaps the only -- bright spot at heavyweight, and even he is dealing with potential backlash because of those shots.Hokit, meanwhile, collected his 10th career win over Lewis, but his act and shameful postfight comments at the White House put a damper on any momentum he gained with his performance.Pereira is still a star and still has his heavyweight aspirations, but the jury is out on how effective he can be at this weight class. Against Gane, he lacked some of the speed he was known for at light heavyweight. Aspinall has still not been medically cleared to fight, and his new manager, boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, is engaged in a public spat over Aspinall's contract. He will probably fight in the UFC again, although that's far from a certainty.The division isn't as low as it was a year ago, when White sleepwalked through the greatest fighter of all time's retirement announcement, but it's safe to say the frustration of that night has not dissipated entirely. Perhaps in another year we'll make it through to the other side.
