UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall said that he is interested in a matchup against former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
Aspinall has not fought since last October at UFC 321, when he suffered an eye injury against Ciryl Gane, leading to a No Contest. Despite that happening over seven months ago, Aspinall has still not been cleared to fight again, though he hopes to return by the end of the year.
When he does return, the hope is that he will attempt to unify the heavyweight title against the winner of the UFC Freedom 250 interim heavyweight title bout between Gane and Alex Pereira.
However, Aspinall’s manager, Eddie Hearn, recently said he wants his client released from the UFC, so it’s no sure thing that his next fight will take place in the Octagon.
If that happens, it could open up fights outside the UFC, including a matchup against Ngannou, who recently knocked out Philipe Lins at MVP MMA.
Tom Aspinall Open to Francis Ngannou Fight
Speaking to the “Fight Your Corner Podcast,” Aspinall was asked what he thinks about fighting Ngannou. The Brit said that he would love the fight, but he admitted it would be difficult to book right now since neither man competes for the same MMA promotion.
“I’d love that fight. I’ve always wanted that fight. He’s out of the UFC and I’m in, so we’re a little bit stuck at the moment,” Aspinall said (via Bloody Elbow).
It will be interesting to see if this fight could get done, though it would be basically impossible for it to happen in the UFC, since Ngannou left as a free agent a few years ago. That means it would have to happen elsewhere, and that could only be the case if the UFC released Aspinall — which they are unlikely to do, given they have him under contract and are under no obligation to release him, despite Hearn’s pleas.
Interim Heavyweight Title on the Line at UFC Freedom 250
At UFC Freedom 250 next Sunday at the White House in Washington, D.C., Gane and Pereira will battle it out for the interim UFC heavyweight title, with the winner set to fight Aspinall later this year in a title unification bout.
When Aspinall does return to unify the belts, the fight against either Gane or Pereira will be one of the biggest UFC fights of 2026.
But if Aspinall and Hearn have their ways, this fight will never happen as they are hoping he gets his full release from his UFC contract so he can move on with his career, and potentially fight for another MMA promotion, like MVP MMA, or in boxing, which Hearn promotes for Matchroom Sport.
UFC fans surely hope that Aspinall can stay on the UFC roster, where most of the world’s top heavyweight MMA fighters are contracted.
But if, for some reason, he did leave the UFC, then a fight against Ngannou would certainly be, by far, the most intriguing matchup that could be booked for Aspinall with someone outside the UFC.
Tom Aspinall Interested in Fighting Francis Ngannou