Tom Aspinall receives $50K bonus and a cold warning from Ciryl Gane after becoming the new UFC heavyweight champion

Tom Aspinall left the entire MMA world jaw-dropped after the UFC 295 co-main event. He stepped in on short-notice to take on feared heavyweight knockout artist, Sergei Pavlovich in a bout for the division's interim title. Within a minute of round one, the Englishman's hand was raised in victory.

He knocked Pavlovich out cold to capture the UFC interim heavyweight title. The stoppage earned him a $50,000 performance bonus from the promotion. However, it also earned him a callout from former interim heavyweight champion and two-time undisputed title challenger, Ciryl Gane.

The Frenchman took to X to both congratulate and warn Tom Aspinall, claiming that the Englishman is now his prey. Gane wrote:

"Congratulations, Tom. You are now the champion and become the one being pursued, and I am the hunter. See you soon."

The tweet marks a complete change in Gane's tune. He previously expressed no interest in facing Aspinall after the Englishman challenged him to a bout. However, with the UFC reportedly still interested in rebooking the Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic title fight, Aspinall will be in need of an opponent.

Jones previously dismissed the possibility of defending his undisputed title against Aspinall, and may still not be keen on it, regardless of the Englishman's new status as an interim titleholder. Instead, 'Bones' is more interested in retiring after facing all-time great heavyweight Stipe Miocic.

It remains to be seen if UFC opts to book Aspinall and Gane in a future bout. But given Gane's recent failures in two undisputed title fights, with one coming against Jones at UFC 285, it's unlikely that the promotion will afford him another title opportunity.

At this time, Aspinall is yet to respond to Gane's callout.