Josh Thomson claims UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has been asked to vacate his title.
Aspinall, who recently underwent double eye surgery, informed his fans about the same through his social media. Since he went under the knife, he will likely be sidelined until next year before he can fight again.
Tom Aspinall’s journey thus far as a champion in the UFC has been shaky. The Brit captured the interim title in 2023 and strangely had to defend it once against Curtis Blaydes, when then-undisputed heavyweight champion Jon Jones opted to fight Stipe Miocic instead of Aspinall.
In 2025, the UFC CEO had promised fans a title fight between “Bones” and Aspinall, but ultimately, due to Jones’ unreliability and reluctance, the fight never happened. “Bones” later left and retired in 2025, after which Aspinall was promoted to the new Undisputed Champion.
Later that year at UFC 321, Aspinall aligned himself with Ciryl Gane to defend his title, but the fight ended as a no contest as the champion was poked in both eyes. Due to an obstructed view, the Brit was unable to continue fighting and retained his belt.
In the wake of the eye-poke incident, UFC CEO Dana White promised Tom Aspinall the best doctors and assured him that the promotion would bring him back to fight once he recovers. White also promised a rematch between the Brit and the Frenchman.
However, the latest rumors suggest that Tom Aspinall has been asked to leave.
Josh Thomson provides a worrying update on Tom Aspinall
In a recent video, Josh Thomson claimed that there are reports that the UFC has asked Tom Aspinall to vacate the heavyweight championship until he is ready to fight again. The former UFC fighter claims Aspinall responded by saying he would be willing to do so as long as the promotion releases him.
“There are reports that the UFC asked Tom Aspinall to give up the title until he was ready to go, and he said he would be willing to give up the title as long as they release him. Now the door is opening for him to move on and box. This is really a weird situation. The heavyweight division is just a total show right now.”
Check out Josh Thomson’s comments below:
Tom Aspinall has previously made it clear that he will not be rushing back to the octagon until his vision is 100%. That said, if the Brit is released by the UFC, he already has plans to transition into boxing.
Please note: at the time of writing this article, there has been no official update that Tom Aspinall has been asked to leave.
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