Just when it seemed as though the UFC heavyweight saga including Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall was over, things have once again been thrust into uncertainty.

After months and months of talks between Tom Aspinall and Jon Jones, UFC boss Dana White announced that the saga was over as Jones had officially retired from the sport.

Despite that, just a few weeks later Jones announced that he has re-entered the drug testing pool following an announcement from Donald Trump that he will host a UFC event on the grounds of the White House in 2026.

And with that, Jones revealed that he would fight whoever is the heavyweight champion come July 4, with Aspinall now standing as the undisputed champion.

Tom Aspinall confirms first UFC title defence is official as Jones is snubbed

However, although Jones is extremely keen to fight on the White House event, this past Saturday following UFC 318, White practically shut down any involvement from Jones, claiming that he cannot trust the former champion.

The UFC boss’ words came after he recently claimed that fans could see both Jones and Conor McGregor compete on the event, building up the hype.

White’s words didn’t sit well with Jones who expressed his disappointment a few hours later, stating that he will be ready for whatever comes next regardless.

And now just a day removed from White’s public snubbing of Jones, the British champion has confirmed that his first official title defence is confirmed after conversations with the UFC.

“Yes (my next fight is signed and locked in) it is. As far as signed, I can’t remember the last time that I physically signed a contract, they just ask me and I say yes and that’s it,” Aspinall told UFC on Eurosport.

“Usually I sign the contract on fight week, contracts actually don’t mean too much, the UFC ask you, you say yes, the verbal contract is all anybody needs from me,” he continued.

Aspinall thinks Alex Pereira’s team is hinting at a move to heavyweight

Although it is relatively unclear at this point who Aspinall will defend his title against, the most likely two contenders are Ciryl Gane and Alexander Volkov.

However, former UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has continued to tease a potential move up to heavyweight over the past few months, getting fans excited about that potential matchup.

“The guy and his team know what they’re doing on social media, they know how to make headlines which is good. I think as far as I’m aware, that’s quite normal for him and bigger light heavyweights to get up to 240-250lbs… Maybe he’s teasing it,” Aspinall continued.

Retired UFC star Josh Thomson has an issue with two of the judges after UFC 318.

The only man who has knocked out Nate Diaz watched Dustin Poirier‘s retirement fight on Saturday night.

Josh Thomson agreed that Max Holloway’s unanimous decision win was well-deserved after the UFC 318 main event.

However, the 32-fight MMA veteran took issue with ‘Blessed’ winning the second round of the fight.

Josh Thomson calls for radical scoring system change

Max Holloway wobbled his long-time rival before battering him when the fight went to the floor.

The BMF champion spent a lot of time in mount, dropping nasty ground strikes as he dominated much of the second stanza.

With 15 seconds left in the round, Poirier turned the tables by scoring his own knockdown, jumping for a guillotine choke, and landing painful-looking elbows.

The horn sounded to end the round and potentially save Holloway, who wobbled back to his corner.

Two of the three cageside judges scored that round against Poirier, despite an impressive recovery and late flurry.

Thomson disagrees with them so much that he’s called for a major change to the MMA scoring system.

‘The Punk’ believes who ends a round on top should be a deciding factor when scoring a fight.

“That’s how I would do a scoring system,” Thomson said on the ‘WEIGHING IN’ podcast he shares with the legendary referee John McCarthy, who disagreed with his take and laughed at the rule change suggestion.

“I put my credence on when it happened…The guy who got dropped early, and then weathers the storm, survives, and then comes back and wins the end of the round by dropping that person back, he should get more points for that.”

Dustin Poirier calls out UFC 318 judges

Poirier raised the same issue as Thomson during his post-fight press conference at UFC 318.

‘The Diamond’ thought his late success was enough to win him round two, so he was shocked to find out that only one of the judges gave it to him.

“Just being inside the eye of the storm, it felt a lot closer to me,” Poirier said.

“I really thought it might have been 2-2 going into the fifth [round]. Mike Brown checked the scorecards when we got to the locker room, and I think the judges gave me different rounds.

“I think the judges gave him the second round. I thought I almost had him out. He hurt me, too, but I thought my shot when I followed up with elbows, I was cracking him. He told me in the medical tent, ‘Hey, man, you had me out.’

“Being in the fight, it felt a lot closer than that. When I heard the judges’ [scores], I was like, ‘No way. It was closer than that.’”

Mark Pope and his staff are starting to circle their top recruits in the class of 2026, as the AAU season winds down. With players starting to schedule visits for the fall, the Kentucky Wildcats will continue to look to host several in the coming months.

One player has already been scheduled for a visit to Lexington, but now that has been pushed back a week.

According to Wyatt Huff of SI.com, five-star guard Caleb Holt has rescheduled his visit to Kentucky to September 12-14. His official visit was originally scheduled for September 5-7.

Holt, a 6-foot-5 and 200-pound guard out of Prolific Prep in Fort Lauderdale, is high on the staff’s big board as they look to maximize their spots available in the 2026 class. But with visits to Auburn and Alabama on the calendar as well, it will be a tough fight to pry him from Iron Bowl territory.

However, the Cats keeping a visit on the board is important. Hopefully, it will turn into some great news for the Cats in the next few months, as Holt would be a great addition to Pope’s offense and address the apparent roster needs that will be open on the 2026-27 roster at this point.

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Learn to row to the start line: Journey to British Rowing Club Championships

From first strokes to the start line, hear all about Kiera Williams’ phenomenal journey to British Rowing Club Championships

Credit: AllMarkOne

In September last year, Kiera Williams sat in a boat for the first time. She made the trip to Star Club, on the banks of the Great Ouse, as part of the club’s Learn to Row course. Star Club has a rich and proud history, with many outstanding athletes calling it home, including Olympic Champion Tim Foster who took gold in the Men’s Coxless Four in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

I would certainly recommend giving the Learn to Row course a go wherever you live in the country.

Of the back of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Star Club took part in a nationwide campaign to increase Learn to Row opportunities. The club was proud to support the next generation of talented young athletes taking their first strokes in the sport – Kiera was a fast learner and enjoyed spending time in a single scull.

After a long winter followed by sun-baked miles on the Ouse throughout the spring and summer, the Star Club rower is now taking part in her first-ever competition. Lining up in the Women’s Beginner Single Sculls at the British Rowing Club Championships, and Kiera was raring to go.

“It’s a big deal to be here today, and I’m super excited. It’s all part of the learning experience. I’ve loved learning to row, and the club is so welcoming to all ages and abilities” said Kiera.

The beginner has enjoyed it so much that she’s not the only member of her family to take to the water!

“My dad is currently going through the Star Club Learn to Row course. It’s been really nice to have him down at the club rowing too, and it’s great to have my parents here today. I would certainly recommend giving the Learn to Row course a go wherever you live in the country.”

If you’re interested in giving rowing a go, you can find out where your closest Learn to Row course is here.

Watch the races back on Champs Live!