Former UFC champion Henry Cejudo told UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall to vacate his belt after not defending it for nearly a year.
Aspinall suffered an eye injury during his fight against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 in October 2025, and he still hasn’t been cleared to fight again.
With Aspinall still banged up, Cejudo thinks it’s time that he gives up his title and lets someone else in the weight class fight for the undisputed belt.
Henry Cejudo to Tom Aspinall: Give Up Your Belt
Speaking to MMAjunkie.com, Cejudo said it’s time for Aspinall to vacate the belt and let the interim champ Gane become the new undisputed champ, with a matchup between Josh Hokit and Alex Pereira determining the next No. 1 contender at heavyweight.
“Give up the title, bro. 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,” Cejudo said.
Henry Cejudo Doesn’t Want Alex Pereira to Get Immediate Title Shot
While Pereira wants an immediate rematch against Gane, who defeated him in the co-main event of UFC Freedom 250 in controversial fashion to claim the interim belt, Cejudo believes that Pereira should have to first get past Hokit to get another crack at the belt.
“It would be wrong for them to give (a title shot) to Pereira. 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,” Cejudo said
“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.”
Henry Cejudo Tells Tom Aspinall to Vacate UFC Heavyweight Title