Dana White has hinted that the promotion could strip Tom Aspinall of the UFC heavyweight title if the latter is not going to be ready or medically cleared to fight anytime soon.
It has been more than 320 days since Aspinall last fought. He has had several eye surgeries earlier this year, and so far, there has been no good news from his camp or his new manager, Eddie Hearn. Although Aspinall wants to return to run it back with the now interim-heavyweight titleholder Ciryl Gane and is already in training camp, as per the former’s manager, Aspinall will only return to competition in 2026 if he receives full medical clearance.
As per the Matchroom boss, the issue is not how Aspinall feels, but what doctors and medical officials determine about how much the Brit has recovered from the double eye-poke injury he suffered at UFC 321 and the subsequent surgeries.
Dana White says Tom Aspinall may not want to “tie up the division”
This past weekend, at the Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn post-fight presser, when Dana White was asked about the Tom Aspinall situation and whether the latter will be asked to vacate or be stripped, White said:
“We’ll definitely be talking about that [if we strip Tom Aspinall]. 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 health-wise with everything, but we should clear that up soon.”
Check out Dana White’s comments about Tom Aspinall below:
Recently, the legendary Valentina Shevchenko vacated the UFC flyweight title due to injury, and now if Aspinall is not ready to fight in 2026, White believes he could follow the same path as “Bullet” and vacate the heavyweight title.
So far, the reigning 265-pound titleholder has not issued a statement or update regarding the same.
