UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall denied that he wants to leave the UFC despite one of his coaches saying that.
Aspinall has not competed in the Octagon since UFC 321 in October 2025, when he fought Ciryl Gane to a no contest after he got poked in the eye and could not continue.
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It’s been nearly a year since that fight, and Aspinall still doesn’t have his next fight booked. That’s why there has been some speculation that he might not want to stay with the organization, especially since his new manager, Eddie Hearn, is not exactly friendly with UFC president Dana White.
But Aspinall says this isn’t true.
Tom Aspinall Has No Interest in Leaving the UFC
After Aspinall’s boxing coach, Stipe Drvis, said that Aspinall wanted to leave the UFC, the heavyweight champion put out an official statement on his social media denying this was the case.
“I’m not leaving the UFC. I’ve never said I have in any interview and any words that have been taken from others today are simply not true. We are talking with the UFC daily and they will update you guys always,” Aspinall wrote in a statement posted to his X account.
What’s Next for the Champ?
When Aspinall is ready to get back into the cage — and he confirmed that he is talking right now to the UFC about his return to the Octagon — then he will be fighting Gane in a rematch in a UFC heavyweight title unification bout.
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After Gane defeated Alex Pereira for the interim UFC heavyweight title at UFC Freedom 250 in June, he earned himself a rematch against Aspinall when the champ is ready to get back into the cage.
It appears that comeback is imminent, and hopefully it does come soon, because the UFC needs its marquee weight class to have its belt defended as soon as possible.
The good news about Aspinall is that it appears that he is working with the UFC towards a resolution and that he will be making his comeback soon, with November’s UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden being a possible return date.
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