Tom Aspinall has been forced to vacate the UFC heavyweight title due to ongoing eye problems

Tom Aspinall has relinquished his UFC heavyweight championship as the British fighter continues to struggle with complications from an eye injury he suffered during his fight against Cyril Gane last year. The 33-year-old was injured in his title defense against Gane in Abu Dhabi in October when he suffered a severe eye poke which prevented him from continuing. The match was subsequently declared non-competitive in the opening round.

Aspinall has since undergone several surgeries as part of his recovery and said on Monday that he had decided to relinquish the championship rather than hold the heavyweight title while he continued his rehabilitation.

“I had previously agreed to a fight date and was back sparring, feeling great and ready to compete when the accident caused further damage to my right eye,” Aspinall wrote on Instagram.

“This means more time away from the sport and right now the timing of my return is unclear.

His decision opens the door for Gane to take over as the undisputed champion of the division. The Frenchman secured the interim heavyweight belt after that defeated Alex Pereira in June.

However, Aspinall made it clear that the title vacation does not mean the end of his fighting career. The Brit said he has no plans to retire and remains hopeful of returning to the Octagon once he has fully recovered.

“Relinquishing the title does not mean relinquishing the sport or the dream,” he wrote.

“I will continue to do everything in my power to heal, clean up and get back into competition as soon as possible.”

Aspinall’s departure is yet another blow to the UFC and its heavyweight division, which has already seen the departures of Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones starve it.

Gane doesn’t have many credible title contenders, Pereira is eyeing a rematch and Volkov is second in the rankings.

– The end

Published on:

14 Sep 2026 18:37 IST