As if Tom Aspinall’s return to the Octagon wasn’t concerning enough, Dana White’s latest revelation has made matters even worse. The UFC heavyweight champion has been sidelined for nearly a year after Ciryl Gane poked him in both eyes at UFC 321, and even his return this year now appears doubtful.

At the recent DWCS post-fight presser, a reporter asked the UFC CEO about Aspinall’s condition. White revealed that the Englishman is still dealing with the eye injury and explained that the heavyweight division would likely move forward without him once again.

“No, I mean, Tom Aspinall is hurt until, you know, until we hear differently,” White said. “So, the heavyweight division will just keep rolling.”

While reports late last week had suggested that Aspinall would return sometime this year, the UFC CEO’s latest update makes it evident that the heavyweight champion is still hurt and there are no signs of him returning any time soon.

This isn’t the first time Dana White has addressed Aspinall’s status. After debunking rumors that Tom Aspinall could part ways with the UFC, White made it clear that the 33-year-old would return once he was healthy enough to compete.

Not long ago, the Englishman’s manager and prominent British boxing promoter Eddie Hearn delivered another concerning update. Although Aspinall began training in June, Hearn revealed that the athletic commission remains unconvinced that the Salford native is medically fit to compete. He also told MMA Junkie recently that the heavyweight champion could potentially be ruled out for the entirety of 2026.

If that proves true, the UFC may have little choice but to keep the division moving.

The reigning interim champion, Ciryl Gane, has accepted a rematch with Alex Pereira, whom he already defeated at UFC White House in June, during Aspinall’s absence. On the other side, Pereira has already been campaigning for another showdown with Gane, and he could finally get his wish if the Englishman fails to return by the end of the year.

Beyond that, Josh Hokit vs. Alexander Volkov remains another matchup whose winner could challenge Gane for the title, or the undisputed championship, depending on whether Aspinall ultimately vacates the belt. That scenario isn’t entirely out of the blue, considering Valentina Shevchenko relinquished her title after suffering an injury, leaving the flyweight championship to be contested between Natalia Silva and Wang Cong in the UFC 332 main event.

With the heavyweight picture becoming increasingly uncertain, the coming months could bring some pivotal developments. Even so, Tom Aspinall continues to make history in his own way, as he inches closer to surpassing Jon Jones in an unwanted record.

Tom Aspinall is really close to beating Jon Jones’ record  

Tom Aspinall couldn’t get his wish to fight Jon Jones and dethrone him while he was the interim champion a few years ago. However, the Manchester-based fighter has finally surpassed the UFC legend in a statistic he certainly won’t be proud of.

As we know, Aspinall is yet to compete in the UFC since Ciryl Gane’s vicious eye poke at UFC 321 on October 25, 2025. Interestingly, Jon Jones also suffered a torn pectoral muscle in the same month in 2023, forcing him out of his scheduled fight against Stipe Miocic at UFC 295.

Nearly a year after Jones suffered the injury, Dana White announced the rescheduled bout on September 14, 2024. That marked 328 days from the date of Jones’ pectoral tear to the announcement of his comeback fight. With that benchmark in mind, Aspinall would surpass Jones on September 15, just seven days from today, if he reaches 329 days of inactivity without returning to competition.

To clarify, Jones’ actual return came on November 16, 2024, at UFC 309, when he finally faced Miocic after spending roughly 390 days away from competition. However, the statistic here is based on the period between his injury and Dana White’s announcement of the rescheduled fight on September 14, 2024. That is the benchmark Aspinall is now on the verge of surpassing.

In fact, if the UFC heavyweight champion remains sidelined through the end of 2026, he would also eclipse Jon Jones’ actual stretch between his injury and eventual return to competition.

For now, though, the bigger question is when Tom Aspinall will finally be cleared to compete. If the latest updates are any indication, the UFC may have to wait a little longer for its heavyweight champion. And Aspinall could soon add another unwanted milestone to his name in the process.