Tom Aspinall Vacates UFC Heavyweight Title After Eye Injury
On January 31, 2025, interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall was waiting for a unification bout with Jon Jones. Aspinall had stopped Sergei Pavlovich to win the interim title in November 2023 and defended it against Curtis Blaydes in July 2024. No date had been set for a fight with Jones.
Aspinall sparring in training. Watch the video on YouTube.
How the interim champion got here
Aspinall stopped Marcin Tybura in the first round in July 2023, then faced Sergei Pavlovich for the interim heavyweight title four months later. He knocked Pavlovich out in the opening round at the November 2023 event. In July 2024, he defended the interim belt against Blaydes in Manchester, dropping him with a right hand and finishing with follow-up punches at 1:00 of round one. The official event recap confirms that he retained the title with the stoppage.
Aspinall said in a January interview that he was training while waiting for a possible title fight. UFC CEO Dana White had said he expected the matchup to happen in 2025, though no date had been announced. Jones had defended the heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in November 2024; Aspinall was seeking an undisputed bout with the champion.
The waiting period became part of the title story
With separate champions holding the heavyweight belts, the division awaited a unification fight. Aspinall continued to call for the matchup while remaining active in the Octagon. He had won and defended the interim title in consecutive first-round knockouts.
Jones retired in June 2025, and Aspinall was elevated to undisputed champion. His first defense against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 on October 25 ended as a no contest at 4:35 of Round 1 after an accidental eye poke. Aspinall retained the title.
A later injury extended the wait
Aspinall later reported continued complications from the eye injury and underwent multiple surgeries. In September 2026, he vacated the heavyweight title after further damage to his right eye left his return date unclear.
Aspinall’s title path moved from interim champion to undisputed holder, then to a no contest and a vacancy. His 2025 wait for Jones followed two first-round title-level knockouts; the later eye injury changed the course of his reign.
Sources
Tags: MMA
