Credit: Waleed Zein/Anadolu
UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is at the center of a social media firestorm after recent remarks by his longtime coach.
Tom Aspinall remains sidelined as he continues to recover from multiple eye injuries suffered against Ciryl Gane last year at UFC 321. Aspinall, the UFC’s undisputed heavyweight champion, is planning a return to the Octagon by year’s end for a rematch with the now-interim titleholder Gane.
After their first fight went to a no contest, Aspinall and Gane seem to be set to run it back, potentially on the upcoming New York City card. But Aspinall’s newly structured management, featuring Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn, could complicate contract talks for his return to the cage.
UFC CEO Dana White and Hearn’s months of bad blood could make looming fight negotiations tense. Aspinall’s longtime boxing coach Stipe Drvis, in a recent Instagram Live session, raised eyebrows when he claimed that Aspinall didn’t want to fight in the UFC again.
Tom Aspinall responds to coach’s claim he’s ‘done fighting in the UFC’
In a recent Instagram story, Aspinall responded to his boxing coach’s viral remarks about his UFC future.
“I’m not leaving the UFC,” Aspinall posted Wednesday.
“I’ve never said I have in any interview, and any words that have been taken from others today are simply not true. We are talking with the UFC daily, and they will update you guys always.”
As of this writing, White and the UFC matchmakers haven’t shared an update on Aspinall’s status and a timeline for his return.
Things between Aspinall and White, specifically, have been choppy in recent months. After White’s apathetic response to Aspinall’s eye injuries suffered at UFC 321, followed by Aspinall’s cold reply, White said that he and the heavyweight champ ‘need to talk’ before signing off on his next fight.
In the meantime, Aspinall’s status in the UFC remains set in stone, but things could get awkward due to White and Hearn’s longtime beef.
What is your early prediction for Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane 2? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
