Pereira loaded up, came flying out of his corner, and battered Ankalaev with strikes to claim a first-round TKO finish as he reclaimed his title in just one minute, 20 seconds at T-Mobile Arena.
“Poatan” is officially back, and back to his best.
Heavyweight
Champion on Jan 1, 2025: Jon Jones, Tom Aspinall (interim)
Champion on Jan 1, 2026: Tom Aspinall
The heaviest weight class in UFC had the roughest ride in 2025, as a long-standing interim champion finally got his hands on undisputed gold before injury denied him the chance to defend it in the only title fight of the calendar year.
Tom Aspinall had captured interim heavyweight gold back in November 2023 with a stunning knockout of Sergei Pavlovich, but his hopes of a title unification bout with then-undisputed champion Jon Jones disappeared into the ether when “Bones” announced his retirement from the sport in June 2025.
It meant Aspinall was promoted to undisputed champion and booked to face fellow former interim champ Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi. Hopes were high that the bout would serve as a kick-start for the heavyweight division heading into 2025, but an accidental double eye-poke from Gane left Aspinall unable to continue, and their title bout was ruled a no-contest.
As we head into the new year, Aspinall is undergoing treatment to recover from eye injuries sustained in the fight, and the heavyweight division eagerly awaits the Englishman’s return.