The dust has finally settled after an exciting UFC 295 PPV event which had the fight fans on the edge of their seat for each and every fight on the night. We saw in the main event that the new light heavyweight champion was crowned when Alex Pereira knocked out the former undisputed light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka. This win etched Pereira in the record books as he has become just the ninth fighter in UFC history to become a two-division champion.

Then in the co-main event was had a slobber knocker that didn't even last two full minutes for the interim heavyweight championship. Tom Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich came out swinging for the fences early but it was Aspinall who eventually landed the kill shot for the knockout victory. Aspinall is now the new interim heavyweight champion and has emerged as the next big thing in the heavyweight division.

UFC 295 was a fight card that truly delivered and will go down as one of the best fight cards of 2023. Let's reflect on the biggest takeaways from this historic event.

Tom Aspinall ushers in a new era in the heavyweight division

Tom Aspinall defied all of the odds that were stacked against him coming into this fight. He received the call to fight for the interim title against Sergei Pavlovich on just a little over two weeks' notice. It was then reported that Aspinall wasn't able to train for the last week and a half after injuring his back while training for the biggest fight of his life.

On the flip side, Pavlovich had a full fight camp training to be the backup for the originally slated Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic matchup. Aspinall wasn't supposed to win this fight but he fought through adversity like he did when he battled back from his brutal ACL tear. With Jones being on the sidelines due to sustaining an injury until most likely the second half of 2024, Aspinall will be playing the waiting game until he is given the opportunity that he's been longing for to unify the heavyweight championship titles.

Alex Pereira is already one of the greats

Alex Pereira started his MMA career back in 2015 but only amassed four professional fights before making his UFC debut in 2021. Fast forward two years later, Pereira has become a two-division champion in just seven professional fights in his UFC career. He was able to win his first title against a familiar foe Israel Adesanya who was undefeated at 185 pounds at the time for the UFC's middleweight championship and now he just took out the former light heavyweight champion who also was undefeated in the division Jiri Prochazka to become the undisputed light heavyweight champion.

Pereira is just one of nine fighters to become a two-division champion in the history of the UFC and he is also the only combat sports athlete to become a two-division champion in two completely different sports. He has staked his claim already as one of the all-time greats in UFC history and if he is able to come back and defend his title even if it's just a few times there is a good chance he will end up in the UFC's Hall Of Fame when his career all over.

The UFC hit a gold mine with Diego Lopes

Diego Lopes is an absolute star in the making. He is just reaching his prime at age 28 and he already has 29 professional fights with three fights in this UFC in just 2023 alone. Lopes was able to finish 2023 with two consecutive victories both coming in less than two minutes in the first round. He was able to knock out one of the top prospects in the featherweight division Pat Sabatini this past weekend at UFC 295.

Lopes was one of two fighters from Mexico's Lobo Gym that won this past weekend. Lobo Gym is home to the women's flyweight champion Alexa Grasso where Lopes is the head BJJ instructor. Lopes is an all-action fighter that can beat his opponents on the feet with his underrated boxing and power and he possesses some of the best Jiu-Jitsu in the entire division with 12 of his 23 wins coming by submission. If Lopes can keep up with this pace he has a bright future in the UFC's featherweight division and he will cause many problems for those at the top of the division for years to come. It's honestly going to be interesting to see what he is going to be able to do as an encore in 2024.