5 UFC heavyweights who could challenge for the title in 2022
The main event of UFC 270 saw Francis Ngannou defeat Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight championship. The bout was one of the most interesting heavyweight title fights in recent memory. For the first time in years, the division is deep with plenty of contenders for the future.
Unanimous decision Francis Ngannou defeats Ciryl Gane UFC 270 Main event new https://t.co/EgXNrfnexI
While Gane and Ngannou retain their positions in the rankings, there are now plenty of other big names on that list. This has not been the case in the past but the heavyweight division finally seems to be a deep and exciting weight class.
Former champions, established stars and rising prospects are all in the mix and a number of men could find themselves in title fights should things go their way this year. While we there are still plenty of questions regarding Francis Ngannou's future with the UFC, he certainly has no shortage of future title challengers.
Here are five other UFC heavyweights who could challenge for the title in 2022:
#5. Tom Aspinall - No.10 ranked UFC heavyweight
While Tom Aspinall only recently joined the division's top ten, a win in his next fight has the potential to push him into the title conversation. It was recently announced that Aspinall will face volkov" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Alexander Volkov in a main event in his home country of England on March 19.
#UFCLondon has its main event!
Heavyweight contenders Alexander Volkov and Tom Aspinall are set to clash.
Full story: bit.ly/3IlNEfh https://t.co/GKmUTmB6p1
This is by far the biggest fight in Aspinall's young career. Aspinall has finished all four of his opponents in the octagon thus far but will now have to defeat an established top-five fighter in Volkov. A win in March would likely see the Englishman only need one more win before a title shot could come calling.
Should Aspinall beat Volkov and then another top contender, perhaps the loser of UFC 270's main event, an end-of-year title fight is a possibility. He has proved himself to be a dangerous finisher in the division and it will be interesting to see just how far he can go.