Earlier today, champion Tom Aspinall announced that he’s vacating his UFC heavyweight title.
This past weekend, Dana White said the UFC brass would speak with Aspinall to assess where the Brit currently stands health-wise and find out whether his eyes have recovered following multiple eye surgeries after the double eye poke he suffered against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321.
White had also opined that Aspinall would not want to hold up the heavyweight division and could choose to vacate the title, just as two-time and former UFC women’s flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko did due to injury most recently.
Why did Tom Aspinall choose to vacate?
Tom Aspinall, via an Instagram post, stated that due to “ongoing complications” with his eyes, he cannot get medically cleared to fight currently.
“Ongoing complications with my eyes mean I cannot get medically cleared to fight right now.”
Aspinall added that he had to go under the knife multiple times, deal with several infections, and tried every possible thing to return.
“I’ve had multiple surgeries, accidents and infections, and done everything possible to get back to competing.”
The Brit also mentioned he had previously agreed to a fight date and resumed sparring, but an accident halted his comeback plans, and now, the timing of his “return is unclear.”
“I had previously agreed to a fight date and was back sparring, feeling great and ready to compete when an accident caused further damage to my right eye. This means more time away from the sport, and right now, the timing of my return is unclear.”
With no clear timeline for his return, Tom Aspinall did not want to hold up the heavyweight division and therefore chose to vacate the title.
“I’ve now made the decision to vacate the heavyweight title. I’ve asked the UFC to allow me to make this statement because I don’t want to hold the heavyweight division up. I know what it’s like to have your career put on hold and I want the other fighters to have the opportunity to compete for the title.”
Lastly, Aspinall added that he’s “not done” and will be back as soon as he’s medically cleared.
“I’m not done. Stepping away from the title is not stepping away from the sport or the dream. I’ll continue doing everything I can to get healthy, get cleared and get back to competing as soon as possible… I’ll be back as soon as I’m medically able to be.”
Check out Tom Aspinall’s statement below:
Ciryl Gane is now the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion
With Tom Aspinall vacating the heavyweight title, two-time interim champion Ciryl Gane has been automatically elevated to undisputed status.
Gane could next defend his title against Alex Pereira in a rematch or face undefeated contender Josh Hokit, who has called “Bon Gamin” multiple times.
However, a rematch with “Poatan” makes sense given how their UFC Freedom 250 bout ended.
