Tom Aspinall

🚨BREAKING: Eddie Hearn dropped a major reality check, admitting that Tom Aspinall likely will probably not fight before the end of the year.  While Aspinall is eager to return and already back in training, Hearn made it clear that a return is completely up in the air following four separate eye surgeries. Hearn stressed that Aspinall cannot be rushed back until doctors and the athletic commission grant full clearance, as returning too soon could permanently cost him his vision.  With Aspinall sidelined for the foreseeable future, the UFC is actively exploring alternative options to keep the heavyweight division moving forward, including potential interim title matchups to avoid freezing the top contenders.

Alex Pereira has publicly stated that a rematch with interim UFC heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane should be his next fight. Gane defeated Pereira at UFC Freedom 250 in June, denying him the chance to become the first fighter in UFC history to hold titles in three divisions. With undisputed champion Tom Aspinall sidelined by multiple eye surgeries with no clear return date, Pereira is pushing his case for another crack at the belt, pointing to illegal shots to the back of the head he suffered in that fight.

Gane, Pereira

UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is pushing to return to the octagon before the end of the year but must first satisfy commission medical requirements stemming from a serious eye injury sustained last October against Ciryl Gane. His manager Eddie Hearn confirmed Aspinall has undergone multiple surgeries and will need to prove his fitness to a commission before he can compete again. UFC 334 in New York on November 14 has been identified as a potential target date for his comeback. Aspinall last week issued a public statement denying reports that he was planning to leave the UFC.

Gane

Josh Hokkit has publicly confronted Tom Aspinall over Aspinall's remarks about inactivity, calling him out for a fight. Hokkit told Aspinall that a contract is already in place, that he would be ready to compete as soon as tomorrow, and that opponents are not the issue. He pressed Aspinall to explain the real reason for the hold-up.

UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has publicly stated he has no intention of parting ways with the UFC. The clarification came after his boxing coach, Stipe Drvis, claimed on Instagram Live that Aspinall did not want to fight for the organization. Aspinall has been sidelined since October, when his title defense against Ciryl Gane ended in a no contest due to eye pokes, and has since undergone multiple eye surgeries. Should he fully recover, a rematch with interim heavyweight champion Gane — who defeated Alex Pereira by TKO at UFC Freedom 250 in June — is expected to follow.

Gane, Pereira

Alexander Volkov will face #5-ranked Rizvan Kuniev in a heavyweight title eliminator at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi on October 24. The winner will be positioned to challenge for the UFC heavyweight title in 2027, facing whichever fighter emerges from the anticipated rematch between champion Tom Aspinall and interim champion Ciryl Gane. UFC 333 will be headlined by two title bouts, including Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev and Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili in a trilogy fight.

Volkov, Kuniev, Evloev+4