Aspinall would like to be active. The British fighter won the interim heavyweight championship in exciting fashion when he knocked out Sergei Pavlovich in the first round at UFC 295. But Aspinall’s ascent to the top of the heavyweight division will have to wait until Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic have their long-scheduled fight.

Light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has talked about going up to heavyweight to try to be the UFC’s first three-division champion, but it’s hard to believe he would want that short of a turnaround after defending his belt at UFC 300. French star and former interim champion Cyril Gane would make sense, but there are some rumblings that he may not be interested. The best MMA news sites also have floated Curtis Blaydes as an option.

Blaydes is an excellent veteran fighter but isn’t necessarily viewed as a legitimate title challenger. Blaydes had a win over Aspinall, but that came under strange circumstances. Aspinall blew out his knee 15 seconds into his fight with Blaydes, allowing Blaydes to pick up a TKO via injury.

Belal Muhammad May Finally Get His Shot

UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards was born in Jamaica. However, Edwards moved to England when he was nine years old and was raised there. Edwards has been named as a fighter who may compete in Manchester.

There has been a real movement to pit Edwards against Belal Muhammad, who is on a nine-fight winning streak. Muhammad and Edwards have met once before. During a fight night in March 2021, Muhammad suffered an eye poke from Edwards and the fight was halted 18 seconds into the second round and ruled a no contest.

Muhammad has long been one of the top contenders in the welterweight division. One thing that has held Muhammad back is his fight style. White prefers fighters who compete in the UFC to try and finish fights. Muhammad generally doesn’t do that.

During Muhammad’s 10-fight unbeaten streak, he has only finished one opponent. Muhammad knocked out Sean Brady at UFC 280. Edwards is also a decision-heavy fighter. However, with all the back-and-forth between the two men, there could be a real push to get them together.

Paddy Pimblett is an Intriguing Name

Since signing with the UFC out of Cage Warriors, Paddy Pimblett has been a staple on all of the UFC’s cards in England. However, Pimblett may have other things on his mind now.

Pimblett’s wife recently gave birth to twins. Pimblett is 5-0 in his fights in the UFC, but the previous two fights he was involved with were not viewed as the most exciting results. Pimblett won a controversial decision at UFC 282 against Jared Gordon and outlasted Tony Ferguson by decision at UFC 296.

Pimblett isn’t ranked in the lightweight division right now and may be looking to take some time away from the sport to be with his young family. However, with the opportunity to fight close to home on offer, Pimblett may be able to be lured back to the table.

Meatball Molly Does Her Best Work in England

Molly McCann did take a surprising loss to Julija Stoliarenko during her last fight in London last July. But usually, when the UFC goes to England, McCann uses that stage as a chance to shine. During the spring and summer of 2022, McCann collected several Performance of the Night bonuses during fights in England.

McCann knocked out Luana Carolina in the third round with a vicious spinning elbow. She did the same thing to Hannah Goldy three months later, but took care of business in the first round. McCann has built a nice following in England and the UFC may want to find a way to get her on the card.

Arnold Allen Needs to Rebuild Reputation

Arnold Allen was viewed as a possible featherweight title contender only last year. But Allen ran into the wall that many featherweights smash headfirst into. Allen was asked to fight former featherweight champion Max Holloway in April 2023. Against Holloway, a top-level striker, Allen had no answers and lost a unanimous decision. When Allen returned in January to fight in Canada, he ended up dropping another decision to Movsar Evloev at UFC 297.

Allen is a fighter who many people believed had a championship pedigree. Getting back on the horse in his home country may be the thing that propels him back to where he needs to be. Allen is ranked No. 6 in the division, but all of the fighters above him have had recent fights.

The fighter ranked behind Allen, Josh Emmett, is a former UFC interim title challenger. Emmett is a powerful striker who doesn’t shy away from trading with his opponents. He could make for a nice dance partner for Allen if both men are willing to make that work. Aljamain Sterling also has moved up a division and will be looking for another fighter after his dominant win over Calvin Kattar.