Why Hasnt An Interim HW Title Fight Been Made?

[Alpha_T83]

I'm assuming Pereira is holding out for Jon Jones, and the UFC don't want to strip Tom or make an interim title without Pereira or Jones fighting for the title. We are stuck in a holding pattern until Pereira agrees to fight Gane, or Jones agrees to fight Pereira.

 

[Alpha_T83]

HW needs CPR. No weight limit, no drug testing, oxygen / inhalers / cocaine / whatever allowed between rounds.

I'm down with removing the weight limit and even allowing oxygen masks between rounds.

 

[Mohawk Banditó]

its been less than 3 months, relax hater. go jerk off to cyril gane and you'll be fine.

Rumors have been swirling about #1 LHW Jiri fighting #3 Ulberg in a "title eliminator" (read: not interim belt) in a division where the champ has been out 3 weeks longer than Tom with a fractured foot (so we know how recovery timeline puts him out to at least mid 2026), AND has made it seemingly pretty clear he's not coming back to LHW.

But here's this thread about Tom, with no certainty of a long term recovery window, needing an interim in his absence

 

[650lb Sumo]

Who knows how long Aspinall is out. Why hasn't the UFC put together an interim title fight?

Interestingly Volkov is third. So Gane-Volkov for the interim belt presumably?

I'm not super-keen on Gane getting another title shot tbh. In fact he should have lost his last fight by DQ and received a heavy financial penalty and suspension.

 

[jeskola]

Rumors have been swirling about #1 LHW Jiri fighting #3 Ulberg in a "title eliminator" (read: not interim belt) in a division where the champ has been out 3 weeks longer than Tom with a fractured foot (so we know how recovery timeline puts him out to at least mid 2026), AND has made it seemingly pretty clear he's not coming back to LHW.

But here's this thread about Tom, with no certainty of a long term recovery window, needing an interim in his absence

exactly. And when Tom comes back and starches Gane or Volkov, all the haters will quickly start riding his nuts like you've never seen. It will be a parade of scrotums with ex-Tom haters mounted on top.

 

[WhiteMousse]

Didn't Aspinall defend an interim title?

So they mean nothing

 

[TankAbbott4Eva]

Who knows how long Aspinall is out. Why hasn't the UFC put together an interim title fight?

Their HW strategy has been a shitshow for years, I’m not expecting it to change right now

 

[Thy]

Gane already had like 4 titleshots. So who against who? Waldo vs. Volkov?! LOL

Gane vs a pair of goggles and handsoap.

 

[dipstickjimmy]

Who knows how long Aspinall is out. Why hasn't the UFC put together an interim title fight?

Who knows when Khamzat fights next? He last fought 2 months before Tom so "Let's make an Interim".

Islam fought a few weeks after Tom but who knows when he fights next? "Let's make an Interim".

Of course we need to strip Topuria.

I assume you have already submitted the paperwork to strip Pereira? He last fought before Tom and who knows when he will defend LHW right so......."Let's make an Interim".

 

[Mmmmmmma1234]

Their HW strategy has been a shitshow for years, I’m not expecting it to change right now

Heavyweight has been trash since Stipe/DC1 that fight ruined everything via eyepokes. A 3+ year saga of them not fighting each other, then Francis looked like he would save it until dana and co wouldnt negociate with him. Then it looked like Jones might save it, but instead he held the belt hostage to fight stipe for almost another 3yrs. Finally Tom looked like the guy to save it but alas it's trashed again from eye pokes.

 

[TankAbbott4Eva]

Heavyweight has been trash since Stipe/DC1 that fight ruined everything via eyepokes. A 3+ year saga of them not fighting each other, then Francis looked like he would save it until dana and co wouldnt negociate with him. Then it looked like Jones might save it, but instead he held the belt hostage to fight stipe for almost another 3yrs. Finally Tom looked like the guy to save it but alas it's trashed again from eye pokes.

They do struggle with a shallow talent pool too of course, hopefully Steveson gets here soon and clears house

 

[Fedorgasm]

Gane already had like 4 titleshots. So who against who? Waldo vs. Volkov?! LOL

Make Black Beast vs Waldo for the interim belt

 

[650lb Sumo]

I haven't noticed a thread with a poll 'Who would you want to fight for an HW interim belt'. If there hasn't been one, perhaps someone with poll-starting power could make one.

 

[whocares]

HW had some momentum a few years back between (Jon, if he was was actually in), Tom, Gane, Volkov, Blaydes, Pavlovich, Almeida, maybe Lewis and even sloppy shooey at one point but they let that all play out with the belt on the sidelines and now they have backed themselves into a corner where there are very few options from the clusterfuck they've allowed to unfold. They will for sure move on from Tom if his recovery is going to drag out all year or beyond, but right now they really need the rematch to happen so they can finally unclog this fucking toilet.

If they're lucky, Waldo doesn't get starched this week and at least you get another contender in the mix. I don't see how they can attach Gane's name to any more title shots unless it's the rematch. Poatan will for sure fight for the undisputed as soon as all this shit gets settled.

 

[flektarn]

Interestingly Volkov is third. So Gane-Volkov for the interim belt presumably?

I'm not super-keen on Gane getting another title shot tbh. In fact he should have lost his last fight by DQ and received a heavy financial penalty and suspension.

Volkov makes sense but I don't see them doing an interim.

 

[nonoob]

And UFC HW matchmaking is a shitshow.

No comment.

The whole Jones-Stipe debacle was an epic UFC clown show.

There isn't now, and there never has been, a HW Jones-Stipe debacle.

Aspinal has beaten through the HW division while Jones wanted a fun fight with Jamahal Hill. nothing to do with Jon's fear of fighting HWs.

Jones NEVER would even fight HW Champion DC.
Jones NEVER would even fight a HW Non Champion during DC's reign.

Stipe, the Proud and Deserving HW Champion who took DC's belt, .

that begat Tom Gane fiasco.

There's no begatting Gane used the "Jones ufc allowed Game Plan".

UFC now dazed and confused, wandering around without a frickin clue of how to kick start HW in the Paramount+ era.

 

[Lou Duva]

Just give gable the belt already damn

 

[JakePaulMMA]

Gane vs a pair of goggles and handsoap.

Gane would never take that fight, it'd be 2 vs 1!

 

[deadshot138]

its been less than 3 months, relax hater. go jerk off to cyril gane and you'll be fine.

Shut up idiot. 3 months and he hasn't even had surgery yet. How long to recover from surgery before he can spar? And then how long to get in shape for a fight camp? Use what little Grey matter you have to draw sound conclusions.

 

[deadshot138]

Pea brained people ITT thinking Tom will be ready to fight for the Belt tomorrow. He may never fight again. I get he was your great white hope against Jones but he turned out to be a paper tiger.