Tom Aspinall’s recovery was supposed to be the story. Instead, the noise around his future just got louder. After UFC 321 ended in chaos when an eye poke left Aspinall unable to continue against Ciryl Gane, the heavyweight champion is still in medical limbo. The 32-year-old underwent surgery on both eyes this week in London and posted photos showing heavy inflammation as he begins the road back to recovery.

He’s been clear about one thing: he wants to rebook Gane as soon as doctors clear him. But according to an insider, the UFC and Dana White may be pushing him in a different direction, and the champion isn’t having it. That tension spilled into public view after a clip from veteran Josh Thomson began circulating on X.

In the video, the UFC veteran shared, “The reports are out that the UFC asked Tom Aspinall to vacate the title until he was ready to go. And he said he’d be willing to vacate the title as long as they released him. Now that opens the door so he can go ahead and box. This is a really weird situation.”

The implication is obvious: if the belt comes off, Tom Aspinall wants his freedom. That freedom opens doors, including boxing, which his father has openly discussed in the past as a financial alternative to UFC paydays. In the middle of that, UFC CEO Dana White’s public comments on the British champion’s status haven’t exactly inspired confidence.

When asked about him at the UFC 324 post-fight press conference, Dana White brushed it off, retorting, “Oh Jesus. Don’t let me talk about Tom Aspinall’s eye. Apparently, he’s going in for his second surgery or just had it. By surgery, I mean injections. I have no idea. Get a quote from him. God forbid I say something about it.”

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Hence, Thomson is framing the situation as a larger mess. He blamed years of heavyweight stalling, starting with Jon Jones’ detour to fight Stipe Miocic instead of unifying with Aspinall when he held the interim belt. In his view, that delay froze the division, and the fallout is still being felt.

As he put it, “The heavyweight division and the 205-pound division, light heavyweight division, both weight classes are the worst that they’ve ever been. And these used to be the pillars.” Meanwhile, the lighter divisions are carrying the UFC’s momentum, with 135, 145, 155, and 170 driving the activity and star power.

Here’s the part the UFC can’t ignore: Aspinall isn’t just another champion. At 15–3, with one of the highest finishing rates in heavyweight history, he’s been the division’s fresh engine. Stripping him during recovery risks turning a medical setback into a credibility problem.

This echoes concerns from the champion’s father, Andy, who has already said, “The money’s there, and I don’t see why somebody as talented as Tom shouldn’t have a piece of that money when the boxers are getting a hundred times more, more than a hundred times more.” If he feels pressured to vacate while injured, the idea of testing free agency or flirting with boxing suddenly looks less like leverage and more like a plan. In fact, there are already other names throwing their hat in the ring for an interim title shot while he recovers.

Tom Aspinall’s UFC future is in limbo as calls rise for an interim title bout

With Tom Aspinall’s future uncertain after the eye surgery, the heavyweight division isn’t waiting around, and No. 5-ranked Waldo Cortes-Acosta is already angling for an interim title.

In an interview with Hablemos MMA, he shared, “I assume Tom Aspinall is not fighting anytime soon, so why not put an interim title in place? Whoever wins fights the champion, should they make the rematch between Ciryl Gane and Tom Aspinall. That would be good.”

Cortes-Acosta isn’t picky about the dance partner either. He put two names on the table, Alexander Volkov or Ciryl Gane, and laid out the blueprint. Run an interim between him and either guy, then let the winner face Aspinall when the champ is back. No politics, no preference, he just wants the belt in play and his name in the mix.

The 34-year-old just smashed Derrick Lewis at UFC 324 in a statement win that pushed his UFC record to 10–2 with five knockouts. Beating a name like Lewis doesn’t just pad a résumé. It changes how matchmakers look at you. Still, there’s no clean solution here. An interim belt might keep the carousel spinning, and contenders like Waldo Cortes-Acosta are right to raise their hands after statement wins.

But stripping a champion who can’t see straight yet sends a message that fighters don’t forget, especially when the alternative options like boxing money and free agency leverage are sitting right there on the table.