Tom Aspinall Return Timeline Updated After Injury Setback Derailed UFC 334 Fight

The now-former UFC heavyweight champion suffered an injury setback during training.

USA TODAY Sports

Tom Aspinall was apparently gearing up for a massive UFC return fight before a major setback forced him to vacate the heavyweight belt.

A former interim heavyweight titleholder, Aspinall successfully defended that belt by knocking out Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 before he was eventually promoted to undisputed champion when Jon Jones retired from fighting in the summer of 2025.

The 33-year-old’s first undisputed title defense unfortunately ended in disaster, as eye pokes brought his UFC 321 meeting with Ciryl Gane to an end late in the first round and kicked off what has now become a layoff of nearly a year.

Tom Aspinall Officially Vacated UFC Heavyweight Belt This Week

With Aspinall sidelined, the UFC elected to create an interim heavyweight belt that Gane won when he knocked out former two-division UFC titleholder Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250 in June.

Ciryl Gane (blue gloves) fights Alex Pereira (red gloves) during UFC Freedom 250 at White House South Lawn. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The UFC heavyweight champion underwent double eye surgery following UFC 321 and finally returned to training earlier this year, but yesterday news broke that Aspinall has vacated the belt and the division will be moving on without him.

Tom Aspinall (blue gloves) prepares to fight Sergei Pavlovich (red gloves) during UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The news didn’t come as a massive surprise given that there really hadn’t been any concrete update on plans for Aspinall’s return, but Ariel Helwani has revealed that the 33-year-old was actively preparing to rematch Gane later this year before suffering a major injury setback during training camp.

Injury Setback Derailed Planned UFC 334 Rematch With Ciryl Gane

Though it was still unconfirmed, there were plenty of rumors over the last few months that a rematch between Aspinall and Gane could be the ideal headliner for UFC 334, which will serve as the UFC’s annual November show at Madison Square Garden.

Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane face off before their fight at UFC 321. | (Zuffa LLC)

“So as [Aspinall] is starting to prepare for the November date at Madison Square Garden – he’s preparing, he’s sparring, he’s training, he gets hit,” Helwani explained. “The eye starts to act up, and essentially, for all intensive purposes, the eye goes back to square one…[Aspinall] informs the UFC, chills for a month, goes in for a scan, scan was very bad. Results were not good.”

Further Eye Surgeries Could Delay Tom Aspinall's UFC Return

Helwani went on to detail how Aspinall could be staring down the prospect of yet another surgery on his right eye, but it does look like the now-former UFC heavyweight champion is at least targeting a possible return in January if his recovery goes well.

Tom Aspinall (blue gloves) reacts to beating Sergei Pavlovich (red gloves) during UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

“The UFC is aware of all of this...[Aspinall] goes to get second opinion relatively recently, doctor says ‘I cannot sign off on this, this right eye is a pretty big problem.’…They’re now telling him that he needs to come back in January, that he just needs to wait. He needs to let the eye heal, rest up, don’t get hit, don’t get scraped, don’t have any issues, come back in January.”

Tom Aspinall (blue gloves) falls to the ground while fighting Curtis Blaydes during UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena. | USA TODAY Sports

Aspinall previously suffered a knee injury during his first meeting with Blaydes in 2022 that resulted in his only UFC loss, but the Englishman was able to return a year later from that setback and is now staring down the prospect of well over a year on the sidelines due to his ongoing eye issues.

What's Next for the UFC Heavyweight Division?

With the heavyweight belt officially vacant, fan speculation quickly turned to what title fight the UFC could put together next and whether or not Gane will be promoted to undisputed champion outright the same way that Aspinall was.

Alex Pereira (red gloves) reacts as Ciryl Gane (blue gloves) touches his face after their fight during UFC Freedom 250 at White House South Lawn. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There appear to be two primary candidates to meet Gane next. A rematch with Pereira remains a possibility, as “Poatan” has spent the months following their first meeting putting veteran referee Herb Dean on blast for failing to call alleged strikes to the back of the head during the fight’s finishing sequence.

Josh Hokit walks out prior to his fight against Derrick Lewis during UFC Freedom 250 at White House South Lawn. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The other option looks to be undefeated UFC heavyweight Josh Hokit, who extended his professional MMA record to 10-0 when he stopped Derrick Lewis in the second round earlier in the night at UFC Freedom 250.