Who is Tom Aspinall fighting next? ‘I think it’s going to be Sergei Pavlovich’

Ciryl Gane, currently ranked No. 1 at 265 pounds, insists a title eliminator against No. 4-ranked Tom Aspinall “doesn’t make sense” for the heavyweight division, which is convenient for both parties, since the hulking Brit has someone else in mind.

No. 2-ranked Sergei Pavlovich.

“I think it’s going to be Pavlovich who I fight next, if you ask me,” Aspinall said on UFC Unfiltered (transcribed by Danny Segura). “That’s it. That’s the ideal situation, me and Pavlovich. I think it’s the most exciting fight in the heavyweight division right now.”

“I believe that right now I have the shortest average time in the UFC, and he has the second-shortest average time, which is wild,” Aspinall continued. “Stick us two in the cage and see what happens. It’s going to be absolutely insane.”

Combined, Aspinall and Pavlovich have 25 knockouts.

Aspinall (13-3) is coming off a first-round finish over Polish powerhouse Marcin Tybura last July, his first appearance since blowing out his knee at UFC London in summer 2022. As for Pavlovich (18-1), he’s the winner of six straight, including last April’s destruction of Curtis Blaydes in Las Vegas.

The winner could be next in line for either Jon Jones or Stipe Miocic, who battle at UFC 295 for the heavyweight strap.

LIVE! Watch UFC 295 PPV On ESPN+ Here!

TWO TITLES UP FOR GRABS! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) makes its highly anticipated return to Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sat., Nov. 11, 2023, with a re-worked pay-per-view (PPV) main card. In the ESPN+-streamed main event, former 205-pound roost-ruler, Jiri Prochazka, will lock horns with ex-Middleweight kingpin, Alex Pereira, for the promotion’s vacant Light Heavyweight title. In UFC 295’s co-main event, top-ranked Heavyweight contenders, Sergei Pavlovich (No. 2) and Tom Aspinall (No. 4), will collide for the interim strap after division champion, Jon Jones, was injured with a torn pectoral muscle and forced to withdraw (video).

Don’t miss a single second of EPIC face-punching action!

• STREAM UFC 295

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 295: “Prochazka vs. Pereira” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.