Tom Aspinall Vacates UFC Heavyweight Title After Eye Setback
Tom Aspinall has vacated the UFC heavyweight title after saying ongoing eye complications have left him unable to get medically cleared. The 33-year-old Briton announced the decision Monday in a statement that ends his reign as undisputed champion and opens the division while his return timeline remains unknown.
Aspinall has not fought since Oct. 25, 2025, when his first title defense against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 was ruled a no contest after eye pokes left him unable to continue. He was later diagnosed with bilateral traumatic Brown’s syndrome, underwent multiple surgeries, and spent nearly a year trying to get back into the cage.
He said that work is not finished. Aspinall wrote that he had agreed to a fight date and had returned to sparring before another accident in training caused further damage to his right eye.
“Anything you read in the media is simply noise. People are creating their own narratives,” Aspinall wrote. “This is the truth: Ongoing complications with my eyes mean I cannot get medically cleared to fight right now.”
The former champion said the latest setback followed months of surgeries, accidents and infections. He also said the timing of his return is now unclear, even after he had felt close enough to compete.
“I’ve had multiple surgeries, accidents and infections, and done everything possible to get back to competing,” he wrote. “I had previously agreed to a fight date and was back sparring, feeling great and ready to compete when an accident caused further damage to my right eye.”
That passage changes the heavyweight picture immediately. Ciryl Gane already holds the interim title after stopping Alex Pereira in the second round at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14, and Aspinall’s vacancy removes the last barrier to an undisputed fight among the men still able to compete.
Aspinall made clear he asked the promotion for the chance to deliver the news himself. He said he did not want to keep the division frozen while he recovered.
“I’ve now made the decision to vacate the heavyweight title,” he wrote. “I’ve asked the UFC to allow me to make this statement because I don’t want to hold the heavyweight division up.”
He added that UFC officials, including Hunter Campbell, had been shown the tests, procedures and medical information throughout the process. According to Aspinall, the two sides worked with specialists to force a return that simply is not possible right now.
Dana White had already signaled that the issue was coming to a head. One day earlier, the UFC CEO said the company would discuss Aspinall’s status after Valentina Shevchenko vacated the women’s flyweight title rather than keep that division stalled.
Aspinall’s record stands at 15-3 with one no contest. He was promoted to undisputed champion in June 2025 after Jon Jones retired, then never completed a defense of that belt because of the Gane fight and the injuries that followed.
He rejected the idea that giving up the title means giving up the sport. Aspinall said he has chased the championship since he was 10 years old and still intends to fight once doctors clear him.
“I’m absolutely gutted. I’ve chased this dream since I was 10 years old,” he wrote. “I’m not done.”
He drew a hard line between the belt and his career. Vacating, in his words, is not the same as walking away from MMA or from the goal that brought him to the top of the division.
“Stepping away from the title is not stepping away from the sport or the dream,” Aspinall wrote. “I’ll continue doing everything I can to get healthy, get cleared and get back to competing as soon as possible.”
The most pointed part of the statement returned to how the injury started. Aspinall said many of the complications he is still managing came from fouls that changed the course of his career, and he argued that fighters depend on officials to enforce the rules in those moments.
He also said he will step back from public platforms while he tries to get cleared. In a separate Instagram message, Aspinall thanked supporters and said his media team will handle his accounts for the foreseeable future as he focuses on medical clearance.
“I’ll be stepping away from social media and letting my media team handle things for the foreseeable future, while I focus on getting medically cleared to fight,” he wrote. “I’ll still be working with my sponsors, and I’m incredibly grateful for their continued support and understanding.”
The UFC has not yet announced how it will fill the vacant heavyweight championship. Gane is the most immediate candidate because he already holds the interim belt, though a tournament or a new title fight among the top of the division remains possible until the promotion makes the next booking official.
Aspinall closed the statement by thanking the people who stayed with him through what he called an absolute nightmare. He said he will return as soon as he is medically able, leaving the heavyweight title behind for now so the rest of the division can move.