The UFC heavyweight division finds itself in a state of uncertainty, particularly with Jon Jones' retirement anniversary passing and Tom Aspinall facing an eye injury. This leaves the division in a bit of a holding pattern, with many questions about who will step up and what the championship picture will look like in the near future. Fans are eagerly awaiting updates on Aspinall's recovery and who might emerge as the next dominant force in the heavyweight ranks.
Sources (14)
We summarise the day's news in our own words. Full credit to the outlets below for the original reporting, click through to read their work.
- Paddy Pimblett ‘always thought’ something important about Conor McGregor ahead of MMA star’s UFC 329 return (Bloody Elbow)
- Alexander Volkanovski open to challenging Justin Gaethje at lightweight (Sherdog)
- Ian Machado Garry vows to dethrone Islam Makhachev at UFC 330: ‘I’m going to bounce him on his skull’ (MMA Fighting)
- Justin Gaethje refuses Arman Tsarukyan’s truck gift, Tsarukyan responds: ‘If you don’t want it, f*ck you’ (MMA Fighting)
- Dakota Ditcheva explains why her opinion on Ronda Rousey has been forever changed (MMA Fighting)
- Gracie family today? (r/MMA)
- 'Shara Bullet' slams 'hypocrite' Michel Pereira ahead of UFC Baku fight (Sherdog)
- Alex Pereira doubts UFC future and says he’s ‘afraid’ to return: ‘I think I’ve already done my part’ (Bloody Elbow)
- Jon Jones Retirement Anniversary Leaves UFC Heavyweights In Limbo As Tom Aspinall Eye Surgery Clouds Division (MiddleEasy)
- Pedro Rizzo: Loss of reach advantage biggest issue for Alex Pereira at heavyweight (Sherdog)
- Truck you! ‘Shocked’ Arman slams ‘a-hole’ Justin Gaethje for rejecting UFC White House gambling gift (MMA Mania)
- Rafael Fiziev | UFC Fight Marathon (r/MMA)
- Rafael Fiziev vs Ignacio Bahamondes | FULL FIGHT | UFC Baku (r/MMA)
- 'Shara Bullet' surprised to see Sean Strickland become UFC champion (Yahoo Sports)
Split from that day's roundup, so the sources listed are the full set behind the whole edition rather than this story alone.
This story ran in the June 24, 2026 edition of the daily show.