Lightweight is not the only division with an absent champion.

Justin Gaethje wants all his money 'up front' after UFC Lincoln win | MMA Mania

When Justin Gaethje defeated Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324, the American fan favorite became a two-time interim 155-pound titleholder on MMA’s biggest stage.

That fight was booked due to the champion’s absence, with Ilia Topuria taking a hiatus from the UFC at the start of 2026 to deal with personal issues away from the Octagon.

Another divisional kingpin is sidelined for a different reason. Tom Aspinall was forced to have surgery to repair the eye injuries he sustained from Ciryl Gane’s egregious eye pokes last October.

A return timeline for the heavyweight champ has yet to be confirmed, and one of the division’s leading contenders wants the UFC to make a big decision.

Waldo Cortes-Acosta wants an interim UFC heavyweight title shot while Tom Aspinall recovers

Aspinall has vowed to get revenge on Gane for his fouling at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi, but there is still no indication that the Briton will have the chance to do so any time soon.

Amid the ongoing uncertainty in the weight class, Waldo Cortes-Acosta has made his pitch to Dana White and his promotion.

After Cortes-Acosta battered Derrick Lewis at UFC 324, the Dominican contender is calling for a shot at a newly created interim belt against one of two top heavyweights.

“I want to fight (Alexander) Volkov or Ciryl Gane. They’re waiting,” Cortes-Acosta told Hablemos MMA.

“I assume Tom Aspinall is not fighting anytime soon, so why not put an interim title in place?

“Whoever wins fights the champion, should they make the rematch between Ciryl Gane and Tom Aspinall. That would be good,” he added.

The UFC heavyweight division is in a bad way

Like boxing, heavyweight was once regarded as the UFC’s glamor division, in which the likes of Stipe Miocic, Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, and other powerhouses competed.

But if last Saturday’s UFC 325 event told us anything, it’s that those days are firmly behind us.

Tai Tuivasa’s sixth straight UFC loss summed up what modern-day heavyweight fights are like, as ‘Bam Bam’ and Tallison Teixeira threw slow punches in a fatigue-fest Down Under.

Their low-skill, low-stamina contest is something many have become used to, except in fights involving a select few at the top of the weight class.

Many have had enough, with some fans calling for the UFC to abolish heavyweight.