UFC president Dana White shared the latest health update on the injured UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.
Aspinall has not competed since a No Contest against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 last October, when he was poked in the eye.
The injury has kept Aspinall out for the past 11 months, and it looks like he’ll be out even longer than that, as White said he’s still hurt.
Dana White Provides Tom Aspinall Update
Speaking to the media following Week 5 of DWCS, White provided the latest health update on Aspinall.
“Tom Aspinall’s hurt. Until we hear differently, the heavyweight division will just keep rolling,” White said.
Will the UFC Have Ciryl Gane Defend the Interim Belt?
With Aspinall still out, there have been rumblings that interim UFC heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane could potentially defend his belt with the champ still on the sidelines.
As White said, the division needs to keep rolling on, and with Aspinall still out for the foreseeable future, the smart move might be to have Gane defend the interim belt, potentially in a rematch against Alex Pereira, whom he defeated at UFC Freedom 250 in June via controversial TKO following illegal back-of-the-head strikes.
Pereira has made it clear that he wants the rematch, and the UFC can easily sell the fight due to the controversial way that their first fight ended.
The promotion could also call upon Josh Hokit, who knocked out Derrick Lewis at UFC Freedom 250, to fight Gane for the interim belt, as it would be a fresh matchup and Hokit has proven that he is deserving of a title shot after going 4-0 in the UFC.
You also can’t forget about Sergei Pavlovich, who is one of the best heavyweights in the world and who is also awaiting his next assignment.
With all of these heavyweights looking to get back into the Octagon soon, the UFC cannot afford to just have the division waiting around for Aspinall.
With Aspinall being out for nearly a year now, it’s time that the UFC heavyweight belt gets defended again — either as an interim belt or with Aspinall vacating his title.
Dana White Provides Latest Health Update on Tom Aspinall