The UFC Heavyweight Champion… More commonly known as the “Baddest Man on the Planet” by combat sports fans.

This weekend in Abu Dhabi, the title will be fought for by two of the deadliest men on the planet — England’s Tom Aspinall and France’s Ciryl Gane.

Over the years, the UFC has built a reputation for being the most dominant mixed martial arts promotion in the world, and at the moment, there’s no sign of that construction slowing down.

Tom Aspinall — one of the nicest guys in combat sports but, without doubt, one of the most deadly. The 6’4” man mountain makes the first defence of his UFC Heavyweight Championship in Abu Dhabi this weekend against Frenchman Ciryl Gane — but could the Lancashire lad be set for a return to boxing in the near future?

Boxing is a sport built on preparation. Fighters spend months in training camp, fine-tuning their skills, sharpening their strategy, and peaking at just the right time. But what happens when all of that is thrown out the window? Short-notice fights have long been a staple of boxing’s unpredictable nature, but are they a genuine opportunity for fighters looking to break through, or just a brutal form of exploitation that stacks the deck against them?