Tom Aspinall has announced he is vacating the UFC heavyweight title less than a year after his first title defense ended when the current interim champion Ciryl Gane injured him with an eyepoke. Aspinall revealed that the serious injury, which forced him to undergo surgery in February, was reinjured due to an accident during a sparring session.
The sudden worsening of his eye health has now spurred his decision to vacate his undisputed title, which he was initially given in June 2025 after Jon Jones retired. Aspinall chose to announce the news himself, posting the update via his Instagram account.
Aspinall Wanted Gane Rematch
One particular portion of the caption reveals that Aspinall agreed to a fight date, most likely a rematch with Gane.
“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,” he wrote in the Instagram caption.
Aspinall had previously expressed his desire to rematch Gane after the French heavyweight recaptured the interim title against Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250. He responded to Gane’s immediate callout in a YouTube vlog reacting to the White House event.
With his newly exacerbated eye injury, however, it seems that a Gane rematch will have to wait.
Aspinall’s Difficult Decision
In the post, the now-former UFC heavyweight champion continued, “Ongoing complications with my eyes mean I cannot get medically cleared to fight right now. I’ve had multiple surgeries, accidents, and infections, and done everything possible to get back to competing.”
“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,” he stated.
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He also slyly referenced his own saga with former heavyweight champion Jon Jones, writing, “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.”
Aspinall’s struggle to fight for the UFC heavyweight title against Jones was one of the more frustrating obstacles for the British champion last year, and now he wishes to keep the heavyweight division moving forward.
The desired fight between Jones and Aspinall also frustrated UFC fans to the point that they created a petition to strip Jones of his title.
Aspinall Calls Out UFC Officiating
Perhaps more frustrating for Aspinall was that Gane has a reputation for breaking the rules, and he believes referees do not enforce the rules strictly.
“What makes this particularly difficult is that many of the complications I’m dealing with are a result of fouls that changed the course of my career,” he wrote.
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“Fighters rely on officials to enforce the rules and protect us in those moments, and it’s hard to still be dealing with the consequences today,” he stated.
Gane recaptured the interim belt with a similarly controversial performance against Alex Pereira, in which Pereira believes the French interim champion hit him multiple times in the back of the head. Pereira, like Aspinall, has gone scorched earth on UFC officiating, particularly calling out referee Herb Dean for a lack of proper enforcement.
Path Back to Octagon
“I’m absolutely gutted. I’ve chased this dream since I was 10 years old,” he stated
Despite the frustration and injuries, Aspinall clarified that he will not give up his dream.
“I’m not done,” he declared. “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.”
“Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout this absolute nightmare. I’ll be back as soon as I’m medically able to be,” he concluded.
In his comment section, Aspinall also mentioned that he would be taking a break from social media.
“I’ll be stepping away from social media and letting my media team handle things for the foreseeable future, while I focus on getting medically cleared to fight,” he added.
