5 potential opponents for Tom Aspinall after UFC London victory

Tom Aspinall cemented himself as one of the best heavyweights in the world with his convincing victory over Alexander Volkov last weekend. He secured the win in convincing fashion, securing a first-round submission in front of his home fans in England.

The submission win was further evidence of how varied Aspinall's offense can be. The English fighter has excellent striking but is also a lifelong BJJ practitioner and has now secured two submission wins in his last three fights. Few have been able to stop him thus far as he has finished all 5 of his UFC opponents thus far.

It will now be interesting to see where Tom Aspinall goes from here. In terms of active fighters, only Tai Tuivasa appears to have more momentum, but that doesn't tell the entire story. Francis Ngannou, Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic are all unknown factors at the moment, making it difficult to predict which fights will be next.

Here are five potential opponents for Tom Aspinall after his UFC London victory:

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#5. Tom Aspinall vs. Derrick Lewis

Derrick Lewis holds a record of 26-9 (1 NC)

In all likelihood, Tom Aspinall will be able to secure a fight against a higher-ranked contender than no. 5 Derrick Lewis. With that being said, you can never quite tell where the chips will fall in the UFC and it doesn't seem unthinkable that we end up getting this fight.

Given the lack of clarity at the top of the heavyweight division at the moment, you get the sense that it might take some time to get each fighter matched up. Aspinall is unlikely to fight for the belt next time out, so he may very well settle for a high-profile opponent that would keep him active in the octagon.

In particular, if the UFC does return to London this year as Dana White indicated, you have to think Aspinall would want to be involved. A fight with Lewis would be a suitable match-up to facilitate that. A win would only increase the English fighter's momentum and give the fans in his home country another treat.

#4. Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane

Ciryl Gane holds a record of 10-1

Ciryl Gane and Tom Aspinall may be the two most skilled heavyweights on the UFC roster. They both possess a terrifying blend of technique and power and have both achieved a lot of success very quickly in the octagon. Given they are both relatively young, a clash between the pair seems inevitable.

Perhaps now is the time to book the first match-up between these two fighters. It makes sense in terms of the rankings with both men right at the top of the division but likely not in the immediate title picture. A win for either man could well be enough to force their name into the equation.

Another potential factor here is that this fight between the top English and French heavyweights would be absolutely huge in the European market. However, given both men will be a big part of the future of the division, creating a match-up where one of these fighters will pick up a loss may not make sense.

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#3. Tom Aspinall vs. Chris Daukaus

Chris Daukaus holds a record of 12-4

Another potential opponent for the man who was victorious this past weekend could be the winner of next Saturday's main event. The no. 9 ranked Chris Daukaus will take on the no. 4 ranked Curtis Blaydes in what is a big-time heavyweight bout.

Should Daukaus prove to be the winner, he could well make sense as Aspinall's next opponent. He may not be the biggest name in the division, but if the former police officer can defeat Blaydes, he will be right around the top five. That would make a fight between these new heavyweight contenders make sense.

Pitting Aspinall against Daukaus could be a smart way of occupying both men given the crowded title picture. With that being said, there is a big chance this hypothetical fight could get derailed this weekend as Daukaus would have to have upset Blaydes to set it up.

#2. Tom Aspinall vs. Curtis Blaydes

Curtis Blaydes holds a record of 15-3 (1 NC)

As mentioned earlier, Tom Aspinall could well face the winner of this weekend's main event. If you believe the oddsmakers, that is most likely to be one Curtis Blaydes. If that happens, Aspinall will be presented with a very different challenge as Blaydes possesses one of the more unique skillsets in the division.

Blaydes might have the best wrestling offense of any heavyweight on the roster. He typically overwhelms his opponents with his grappling and has only been defeated when he's been caught by powerful striking. It would be very interesting to see how his style would match up against Aspinall.

It feels as though Blaydes has been on the verge of joining the division's elite for years now. Should he beat Chris Daukaus and then Tom Aspinall, he would finally make that leap. For Aspinall, a win over Blaydes would cement him as one of the best all-round heavyweights we've seen in recent memory.

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#1. Tom Aspinall vs. Tai Tuivasa

Tai Tuivasa holds a record of 14-3

Tom Aspinall and Tai Tuivasa are likely the top two heavyweights currently competing in the division. However, they are not quite at the level of the likes of Francis Ngannou, Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic. With that in mind, why not figure out which man ought to join those names by having the pair fight.

Tuivasa has been on a great run of form recently and is now on a five-fight winning streak after knocking out Derrick Lewis at UFC 271. Should he not receive an interim title fight, Aspinall seems like the obvious next man up. The Brit is clearly keen for this fight as he called out the Australian after his win on Saturday.

You get the sense that Tuivasa isn't one to shy away from a challenge, so it wouldn't be a surprise if this is the bout we get. Seeing if Aspinall's skills would be enough to overcome Tuivasa's pure power would make for a very interesting fight. The winner wwilllikely be in a position to challenge for UFC gold.