Overview
- Overeem says the weight class no longer features the 15–20 marquee names it once did, calling the decline "no secret" in a new interview.
- He attributes the slide to a broader shortage of exciting heavyweights from traditional hotspots such as Japan and other former feeder areas.
- Past influxes from PRIDE and Strikeforce once replenished the roster, but a comparable surge has not materialized in recent years.
- Recent reports claim the UFC could not finalize deals with Artem Vakhitov and Rico Verhoeven, with financial terms cited, though those accounts are not fully corroborated.
- With champion Tom Aspinall sidelined by an eye injury, Alex Pereira has vacated light heavyweight and is booked to face Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title on June 14.