Between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall, the UFC heavyweight division has been stalled out for years now. But there’s some small hope that things will get moving again after some new comments from UFC CEO Dana White
White was speaking to the press following his Tuesday night Contender Series event and was asked if there was any update on the health of current UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, who has been sidelined with injuries to his eyes since last October.
“No,” White said, looking resigned and
a bit frustrated. “I mean, Tom Aspinall is hurt, y’know, until we hear differently. So … the heavyweight division will just keep rolling.”
For months following the brutal double eye-poke Aspinall took from Gane, we heard nothing but bad news: Aspinall couldn’t drive, Aspinall couldn’t shake hands. Aspinall certainly couldn’t train. There were positive updates in recent months, until Tom’s new manager Eddie Hearn revealed he still needed additional testing before being able to fight.
That leaves the UFC in a tough spot, and we’ve seen what happens in tough spots: main events like UFC 332’s Natalia Silva vs. Wang Cong for the vacant women’s flyweight title. Aspinall vs. Gane 2 has been a top contender for the promotion’s big Madison Square Garden card in November for a while. If it’s not ready, could an interim (or perhaps another vacant) title fight take its place?
Alex Pereira has come out and demanded an immediate rematch against interim champ Ciryl Gane, which only makes a tiny amount of sense if Tom Aspinall isn’t ready. And then you’ve got Josh Hokit demanding his due after going 4-0 since his arrival a year ago. The UFC heavyweight division is definitely ready to get rolling without Aspinall, if that’s the UFC’s call. Let’s see what they do.
