The Ultimate Fighting Championship is making the unorthodox decision of having an interim champ defend their throne.
In the co-headliner of UFC 304 on July 27, Tom Aspinall (14-3) will collide with Curtis Blaydes (18-4, 1 NC) once again, this time for the interim heavyweight strap. The two first met at UFC Fight Night 208 in 2022, and Aspinall blew his knee out in 15 seconds to suffer the loss. While Jon Jones is currently the division’s disputed champ, the promotion opted to have Aspinall defend while keeping Jones available to presumably face Stipe Miocic at some future date.