Waldo Cortes-Acosta Says Tom Aspinall Is Not a Champion
Waldo Cortes-Acosta says Tom Aspinall is not a champion, accusing the UFC heavyweight titleholder of hiding from a Ciryl Gane rematch. The comments matter because Aspinall has been out for nearly a year, Gane already holds the interim belt, and Dana White has said the division will keep moving without him.
Cortes-Acosta spoke at Noche UFC 4 media day in Arizona. The No. 5 heavyweight is fighting Curtis Blaydes on Saturday in Glendale and did not soften his view of the man still listed as champion.
“It’s frustrating to see the champion be like this,” Cortes-Acosta said. “He knows that he needs to come back and fight with Ciryl Gane.”
Then he went further. “I think, sorry for the language, but he is a p*ssy. I think he had a long time to heal and come back and fight for the title.”
That is a ranked contender talking about the undisputed champion, not a fan in the comments. Cortes-Acosta made the charge personal and tied it to what he thinks a titleholder is supposed to look like.
“For me, this is not a champion. A champion needs to be a warrior in the ring and not a p*ssy. We don’t know where he’s at. He is hiding because he doesn’t want to fight Ciryl Gane.”
Aspinall has not fought since Oct. 25, 2025, when his first undisputed defense against Gane at UFC 321 ended in a first-round no contest. Repeated eye pokes left Aspinall unable to continue, and he later had surgery on both eyes for a rare injury that caused double vision.
He is 15-3 with one no contest. Inside the UFC he is 8-1, and he became Britain’s first heavyweight champion after Jon Jones retired.
Gane (14-2, 1 NC) filled the vacancy in June, stopping Alex Pereira in the second round at UFC Freedom 250 to win the interim title. A unification rematch was the obvious next step. It has not been booked.
Aspinall said in June he was back in full training and talking to the UFC about Gane. Paris in September was floated. That date came and went without him.
White was asked about the situation this week and did not offer a return. He said Aspinall is still hurt and that the heavyweight division will keep rolling until the UFC hears otherwise.
Cortes-Acosta’s version is different. In his telling, enough time has passed and the delay is about Gane, not medicine.
That claim is his opinion, not a medical report. White’s latest public update still frames the absence as an injury, and Aspinall has already denied rumors that he wants out of the UFC.
Cortes-Acosta is 17-3 and coming off a May decision loss to Alexander Volkov at UFC 328. He is not next in line for the belt. He is a top-five heavyweight trying to bounce back against Blaydes (19-6, 1 NC) at Desert Diamond Arena.
A win on Saturday keeps him in the conversation while the title picture stays frozen. A loss makes the Aspinall comments look like noise from a fighter who still has his own ranking to protect.
The division around them is already moving. Pereira wants Gane again. Josh Hokit is 10-0 and calling for a title fight. White has given those names a lane by saying the company will not wait.
Aspinall remains champion on the rankings. Gane remains the active titleholder. Cortes-Acosta just said the man with the undisputed belt does not deserve the word.
No return date has been announced for Aspinall. Cortes-Acosta’s next step is Blaydes on Saturday, and the heavyweight title picture will keep shifting until someone in the UFC says the champion is cleared to fight.