Henry Cejudo thinks it's time for Tom Aspinall to let the UFC heavyweight division move on.
Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) is quickly approaching the one-year anniversary of his unfortunate no contest with Ciryl Gane (14-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC) at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi. After an intense few minutes of action, Gane pocked Aspinall in the eye and the heavyweight champion was unable to continue.
It's been a painful saga for Aspinall, 33, since. He's undergone multiple eye surgeries as he aspires for an octagon return, but there's still no clear timeline. Aspinall's representative Eddie Hearn recently stated there's still some hiccups to overcome before the British titleholder can return, and UFC CEO Dana White said on Tuesday that he's not certain if or when
Aspinall will be available.
Former two-division UFC champion and analyst Cejudo sustained a devastating eye injury in his penultimate octagon appearance vs. Song Yadong in February 2025, that he said still has lasting affects. He understands Aspinall's position, and said it's best not to rush back, even if that comes with the consequence of losing his label as champ.
"Give up the title, bro," Cejudo told MMA Junkie. "Give up the title and let your eye recover and that's it. Let the other dudes fight. Let the winner of Josh Hokit and Alex Pereira fight Ciryl Gane for the undisputed."
Although a title vacancy can oftentimes leave the division in a worse place, Cejudo, who shockingly gave up two UFC titles in May 2020 before his first MMA retirement, thinks heavyweight would be better off in this instance.
Cejudo sees a clear opportunity to make fights involving Ciryl Gane, Alex Pereira and Josh Hokit, which would set the stage for an eventual Aspinall return.
"It would be wrong for them to give (a title shot) to Pereira," Cejudo said. "There's a storyline there with Josh Hokit and Pereira. That's the fight that needs to happen. But it's the UFC, Paramount and the sport. They could make it happen, though. Is it deserving? No. I think Ciryl Gane would really put the lights out again in a similar fashion because he's a bigger guy with lateral movement and motions. Pereira can hit, but you don't have that heavyweight thump. It's different. But I think Pereira probably doesn't want to go against a guy like Josh Hokit. He has a big mouth and uses his wrestling. You saw what he did to Derrick Lewis. You already know this guy is good.
"Pereira would rather just go up again and try to take another L to Ciryl Gane. But the right thing to do is Pereira vs. Josh Hokit. Ciryl Gane knows too that Josh Hokit would be a much tougher matchup than Pereira. So these guys are becoming strong and strategic where these guys are picking their fights."
To hear more from Cejudo, check out his complete appearance on "The Bohnfire" podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn above.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Former UFC champ urges Tom Aspinall to 'give up the title'
