Henry Cejudo thinks Tom Aspinall is playing with fire, and if the UFC heavyweight champ can’t get back in the cage, ‘Triple C’ believes Dana White might have no choice but to take his belt away. The former two-division champion also has a warning for Aspinall: keep poking the UFC CEO, and the Brit could find himself with a lot less leverage when it’s time to negotiate.

“I think [Tom Aspinall] needs to vacate or be stripped at this point,” Cejudo told Kamaru Usman on the Pound4Pound show. “You know what I’m saying? If you’re hurt, what I’m saying is, as a champion, if you’re hurt and you’re unwilling to compete, vacate the belt. Let somebody be called undisputed until you’re actually back.”

Tom Aspinall’s last fight came at UFC 321 in October 2025, where he suffered an eye injury during his heavyweight title defense against Ciryl Gane. The Brit is still recovering and hasn’t received medical clearance yet, meaning his time on the sidelines has now passed the 320-day mark.

And Henry Cejudo thinks the UFC has waited long enough. In his view, the Briton should take the time he needs to recover, while the rest of the heavyweight division gets on with an undisputed title fight.

However, there is no denying that the situation has gotten more complicated as Aspinall recently signed with Dana White’s rival, Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Talent Agency. And to make things worse, Hearn hasn’t exactly been shy about his thoughts on the heavyweight champ’s UFC contract, either.

“They’ve got to be careful because at the end of the day I’m not going to let Tom Aspinall fight for the kind of money that he’s on,” Hearn said in an interview with Bloody Elbow. “To be involved in a fight against [Alex] Pereira or [Ciryl] Gane for literally one fiftieth of the revenue for that show? F— that, I won’t let him do it.

Eddie Hearn has even gone as far as saying Aspinall shouldn’t accept a title fight under his current contract, calling the whole situation “outrageous” considering how big the heavyweight champion’s profile has become. Cejudo, however, doesn’t think Hearn has enough leverage to force the UFC’s hand.

“Eddie Hearn does not help Tom Aspinall. He’s got no leverage, bro,” he added. “Time’s almost up. It’s f—— October 25th. And by the time October 26th hits, they have a right to—he has a right to be stripped after that.

“Eddie Hearn cannot help him if Tom Aspinall does not fight. You know what I’m saying? Like, it’s just not there.”

As for Dana White, he’s already made it pretty clear that the heavyweight division won’t stay frozen forever.

“Tom Aspinall is hurt. Until we hear differently, the heavyweight division will keep rolling,” White said at the Dana White Contender Series’ Week 5 post-event press conference.

That could open the door for Josh Hokit and Alex Pereira to fight for the undisputed heavyweight title. Ciryl Gane currently holds the interim belt after stopping ‘Poatan’ via second-round TKO at UFC Freedom 250 in June, but Pereira has already made it clear he wants another shot at the Frenchman.

Tom Aspinall’s long spell on the sidelines has also brought comparisons of other champions being pushed to vacate their titles after extended injury layoffs.

Valentina Shevchenko recently gave up the women’s flyweight belt ahead of UFC 332 after suffering a serious back and shoulder ligament injury. Meanwhile, Cris Cyborg called on Kayla Harrison to vacate the women’s bantamweight title after Harrison went more than 460 days without fighting.

But what makes things worse for Tom Aspinall is the fact that he has Eddie Hearn as his manager, and the contract dispute may make things even worse for the reigning heavyweight champion.

Henry Cejudo warns Tom Aspinall against poking Dana White

Henry Cejudo believes Tom Aspinall could be walking into dangerous territory if he keeps treating his negotiations with Dana White like a battle between equals. According to the Olympic gold medalist, publicly challenging the UFC boss is hardly the best way to improve his position or get the deal he wants.

“You’re poking the bear,” he warned. “Dana White’s the bear. Dana White’s the f—— pink elephant in the room. You’re f—— with the boss, bro.

“If you’re doing that, dude, it’s just, it’s not good business, man, to have Dana White as your enemy, dude.”

And to be fair, there’s no shortage of fighters who have found themselves in a tough spot after clashing with Dana White or refusing to play by the UFC’s preferred rules.

Just look at Jon Fitch, who learned that lesson the hard way back in 2008. After refusing to hand over his lifetime video-game likeness rights without compensation, Fitch was released by the UFC despite riding an eight-fight winning streak that snapped only three before the dispute.

Dana White even threatened to ban other American Kickboxing Academy fighters, including future heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez. Fortunately, Fitch was brought back the next day after agreeing to the terms, but the incident did leave a lasting dent in his relationship with the promotion.

Yair Rodriguez also found out how quickly things can go sideways with Dana White. In 2018, he reportedly turned down fights against Ricardo Lamas and Zabit Magomedsharipov while pushing for better pay and different opponents.

As a result, the UFC CEO publicly criticized him and announced his release through the media. Yair Rodríguez was eventually brought back a few weeks later, but the episode showed just how quickly negotiations can turn ugly when the UFC feels a fighter isn’t cooperating.

Tom Aspinall’s situation is obviously different. He’s dealing with a legitimate injury, not refusing to fight. Still, Henry Cejudo believes the heavyweight champion needs to understand the power imbalance between himself and the UFC, especially with his title status and return date both up in the air.

If the Briton can’t get back in the cage soon, stripping him could become the UFC’s cleanest solution to the heavyweight logjam. And if the champion keeps negotiating as though Eddie Hearn can dictate the terms, ‘Triple C’ fears he could learn the hard way just how little leverage he really has against Dana White.