UFC commentator Daniel Cormier wishes that UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall could mend fences with the promotion.
Aspinall has not fought since last October at UFC 321 when he suffered an eye injury in a No Contest against Ciryl Gane. He has not yet been cleared for a return to the Octagon, necessitating the UFC to create an interim heavyweight title in his absence.
This Sunday at UFC Freedom 250, Gane takes on Alex Pereira for the interim belt. It’s a huge fight in the UFC heavyweight division, as the winner of that bout is expected to take on Aspinall in a title unification bout later this year when the champ’s eye is fully healed up.
But after Aspinall’s new manager, boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, said that the UFC needs to give Aspinall a better contract before he fights for them again, Aspinall’s return is now up in the air.
Daniel Cormier Hoping UFC and Tom Aspinall Can Come to Mutual Agreement
Speaking to the media in Washington, D.C., ahead of UFC Freedom 250, Cormier said that he hopes that the UFC and Aspinall can come to a mutual agreement, so the world’s leading MMA promotion can get the best heavyweight on the planet back inside the Octagon ASAP.
“We need Tom Aspinall on the same page as the UFC because this is where the best heavyweights in the world fight. And Tom Aspinall is one of the best heavyweights – Tom Aspinall is the best heavyweight in the world because he’s the world champion, and you want the world champion fighting,” Cormier said (h/t MMAjunkie.com).
“So yeah, it’s very important for Tom Aspinall and the UFC to get on the same page, and I can’t wait for it because every time Tom Aspinall fights, it’s amazing, and it’s fun, and he’s just a beast. To have a new interim champion after this weekend, who will take all of that shine from headlining, co-headlining the White House, it would be an amazing time to watch. So yeah, they need to get on the same page.”
What Will Happen with Tom Aspinall?
It feels like Aspinall is being used as a pawn in the rivalry between Hearn and UFC president Dana White. These two men do not like each other, and after White signed boxer Conor Benn to Zuffa Boxing, Hearn signed Aspinall to Matchroom Sport, which further intensified the rivalry between the two.
Aspinall is MMA’s best heavyweight, and the UFC is all about booking the biggest and best fights possible, so, of course, they want to see him back inside the Octagon competing.
But if Aspinall continues to hold out based on Hearn’s advice, the UFC may just keep tolling his contract and potentially even strip him of the UFC heavyweight belt, upgrading the winner of Pereira vs. Gane to the undisputed champ.
We’ll see what happens, but hopefully both sides can come to a deal, and we can get Aspinall back inside the cage before the end of the year with a pair of UFC gloves on, defending his belt.
Daniel Cormier Wishes Tom Aspinall Can Mend Fences With UFC