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Tom Aspinall’s reign as the UFC heavyweight champion might come to an end without being defeated for the gold.
Aspinall initially claimed he was ready to roll and it was up to the UFC brass to make his next fight happen. More recently, Aspinall’s representative, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Talent Agency, revealed that the heavyweight titleholder needs to undergo further testing on his eyes before he can return.
The reigning heavyweight champion had to undergo multiple surgeries after suffering a double eye poke against Ciryl Gane back in Oct. 2025. With questions surrounding Aspinall’s status, UFC CEO Dana White addressed where things stand during the post-fight press conference for Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn. White isn’t ruling out possibly stripping Aspinall of the UFC heavyweight title (via MMAJunkie).
“We’ll definitely be talking about that (Aspinall vacating),” White said. “It’s one of those – like, Valentina [Shevchenko] doesn’t want to tie up the division. And I’m assuming Tom feels the same way. I don’t know personally where he is healthwise with everything, but we should clear that up soon.”
Gane has since captured the interim championship after stopping Alex Pereira via second-round TKO in the UFC Freedom 250 co-main event. With uncertainty surrounding Aspinall, Pereira has been calling for a rematch. A second clash between Gane and Pereira isn’t exactly gaining any steam with some naysayers, such as Henry Cejudo, who believes a matchup between “Poatan” and Josh Hokit makes more sense.
White recently denied having any issues with Aspinall despite aligning with his promotional rival Hearn. The UFC boss was hoping that Aspinall would be ready to go, but it appears that won’t be the case for now. We’ll keep you posted on UFC’s plan for the heavyweight title once more details surface.
Do you think Tom Aspinall will be forced to relinquish the UFC Heavyweight Championship? Sound off in the comments below.
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
