Home / Sports / UFC Eyes Title Stripping for Injured Heavyweight Champ
UFC Eyes Title Stripping for Injured Heavyweight Champ
13 Sep
Summary
- Tom Aspinall has not fought in nearly a year due to an eye injury.
- UFC president Dana White is considering stripping Aspinall of his title.
- Aspinall became undisputed champion after Jon Jones vacated the belt.
The UFC is contemplating whether to strip Tom Aspinall of his heavyweight title, as the champion has been inactive for nearly a year following a severe eye injury. Aspinall sustained the injury in October 2025 during his bout against Ciryl Gane, which resulted in a no-contest and required multiple surgeries.
UFC president Dana White suggested that Aspinall might relinquish his title to avoid holding up the division, similar to Valentina Shevchenko's recent decision. White expressed a need to clarify Aspinall's health status soon. Aspinall was upgraded to undisputed champion when Jon Jones vacated the belt in June 2025.
Despite his injury, Aspinall reportedly returned to full training in June. His last defense of the title, claimed in November 2023, was in the ill-fated fight with Gane. The period since winning the interim title has been largely defined by his inability to face Jon Jones in a unification bout.
