Dana White surprises and rules out Tom Aspinall's return to the UFC.

Dana White at a UFC event. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/UFC

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Tom Aspinall , it seems, is still far from having his return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) confirmed. Having not competed since suffering an eye injury at UFC 321 in October 2025, the heavyweight champion (up to 120,2 kg) saw the organization move forward with the division and create an interim belt at UFC Casa Branca . According to Dana White, this scenario is likely to continue as long as the Briton remains sidelined.

During a Contender Series press conference, the UFC president stated that Aspinall remains injured and, until there is an update on his condition, the heavyweight division will continue to move forward as normal.

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“ Tom Aspinall is injured. Until we hear otherwise, the heavyweight division will continue to move forward,” said Dana White.

Cyril Gane is the interim heavyweight champion.

Responsible for Tom Aspinall 's eye injury after a finger poke that resulted in a no-contest, Ciryl Gane is the current interim heavyweight champion. The Frenchman won the belt by knocking out Alex Poatan in the co-main event of UFC Casa Branca.

Although the clearest prospect would be a title unification bout between Gane and Aspinall, the Frenchman has already made it clear that he intends to move on and accept a rematch against Poatan should the Briton be unable to compete.

Johnny Walker opens up about his heavyweight debut at UFC 332.