“Yeah, we’ll definitely be talking about that,” Dana White said during the recent Garcia vs. Benn post-fight presser when reporters asked him about the situation with Tom Aspinall. The UFC CEO clarified that the Englishman wouldn’t want to hold up the heavyweight division while being medically sidelined for nearly a year, implying that the promotion would eventually strip him of the title for inactivity. However, Aspinall didn’t give the UFC the chance to make that announcement.

Taking to Instagram, the UFC heavyweight champion shared that he has finally decided to vacate the title because his imminent comeback is no longer possible, as he hasn’t been medically cleared to fight due to his damaged eyes.

“Anything you read in the media is simply noise,” Aspinall wrote. “People are creating their own narratives. This is the truth: Ongoing complications with my eyes mean I cannot get medically cleared to fight right now. I’ve had multiple surgeries, accidents, and infections, and done everything possible to get back to competing. 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.  

“This means more time away from the sport, and right now, the timing of my return is unclear. I know there have been questions about why I’ve been quiet. I’ve always followed the advice of the UFC and focused on my recovery while we’ve tried to make this happen. I’ve now made the decision to vacate the heavyweight title. I’ve asked the UFC to allow me to make this statement because I don’t want to hold the heavyweight division up.” 

With that, Aspinall’s reign saw a very disappointing ending, with him relinquishing his title. However, the decision seemed inevitable because today marked 323 days of inactivity for the Salford native after Ciryl Gane eye-poked him at UFC 321 last year. Though it wasn’t Aspinall’s fault, the heavyweight division couldn’t wait any longer with the champion sidelined for almost a year. But that doesn’t mean the Englishman didn’t try to make a comeback.

Despite going through four surgeries this year, Aspinall returned to practice in late June after Gane called him out at UFC White House. Still, the condition of his Brown’s syndrome ended up taking much longer to recover from. The former heavyweight champion’s manager, Eddie Hearn, also revealed that he was desperate to make a comeback, but the athletic commissions didn’t provide clearance after assessing the condition of his eyes. Because of this, Aspinall is feeling “gutted” that he cannot compete this year and had to relinquish the belt he worked so hard to win. 

“I know what it’s like to have your career put on hold and I want the other fighters to have the opportunity to compete for the title,” Aspinall added. “The UFC and Hunter have been informed every step of the way and have seen the tests, procedures and medical information relating to my eyes. We have worked closely with different doctors and specialists to try and make my return happen, but unfortunately, it’s simply not possible right now. I’m absolutely gutted.”  

With the Englishman finally vacating his title, it’s expected that the UFC will elevate interim champion Ciryl Gane to champion status, just as they did with Tom Aspinall last year after Jon Jones relinquished the heavyweight belt. However, as of now, no announcement has been made by the UFC.

Still, one thing is clear: the heavyweight division will move forward while Aspinall takes more time to recover.

The 33-year-old is understandably disappointed with how his title reign has ended, but that doesn’t mean he cannot bounce back. In fact, Tom Aspinall is already eager to show that he’s determined to turn his legacy around. 

Tom Aspinall vows to make a legendary comeback after vacating the 265 lbs title  

To be fair, the Manchester-based fighter has always been headstrong when dealing with adversity, and that attitude was evident even when he finally vacated the belt. For Aspinall, giving up the title is just a roadblock, not the end of the road. He also cited how he began chasing his dream of becoming a UFC champion when he was just 10 years old, signifying that he remains determined to win the title.

“I’ve chased this dream since I was 10 years old,” Aspinall wrote further in his post. “I’m not done. Stepping away from the title is not stepping away from the sport or the dream. I’ll continue doing everything I can to get healthy, get cleared, and get back to competing as soon as possible.” 

Giving up the belt could turn out to be a good decision on Aspinall’s part because he can now fully focus on his recovery without feeling the pressure of holding up the heavyweight division. Recently, Valentina Shevchenko also vacated her belt due to injury. She didn’t want to impede the 125-pound division, which led to the UFC 332 main event between Natalia Silva and Wang Cong for the vacant flyweight championship in Utah on October 3rd.

Soon, the heavyweight championship landscape will also change, but we can expect Tom Aspinall to return even stronger once he has fully recovered from his eye injury.