Tom Aspinall gave up the UFC heavyweight championship on Monday because he cannot get medically cleared to defend it. The way he did it deserves respect.
Aspinall announced the decision himself on Instagram, having asked the UFC for permission to make the statement rather than be stripped.
“I had previously agreed to a fight date and was back sparring, feeling great and ready to compete when an accident caused further damage to my right eye,” he wrote.
He continued: “Ongoing complications with my eyes mean I cannot get medically cleared to fight right now. I’ve had multiple surgeries, accidents, and infections, and done everything possible to get back to competing.”
A year of nightmares
Aspinall has not competed since his bout with Ciryl Gane ended in a no contest after Gane accidentally poked him in both eyes. That was roughly a year ago, and he has been sidelined ever since.
He has undergone multiple eye procedures, including surgery reported in February. Clearance has never come.
The cruelest detail is in his own statement. He had a fight date. He was sparring. He felt great. Then another accident damaged the same eye again.
“I’ve now made the decision to vacate the heavyweight title,” Aspinall wrote. “I’ve asked the UFC to allow me to make this statement because I don’t want to hold the heavyweight division up. I know what it’s like to have your career put on hold, and I want the other fighters to have the opportunity to compete for the title.”
A champion who knows exactly what it feels like to wait behind an inactive titleholder, refusing to do that to anybody else. That is a class act under miserable circumstances.
He also wrote that he is “absolutely gutted” and has “chased this dream since I was 10 years old,” while insisting: “I’m not done. Stepping away from the title is not stepping away from the sport or the dream.”
Dana White saw it coming
Two days earlier, at the Garcia vs. Benn post-fight press conference, White was asked whether the UFC would consider stripping Aspinall.
“Yeah, we’ll definitely be talking about that,” White said. “Valentina doesn’t want to tie up the division, and I’m assuming Tom feels the same way. I don’t know personally where he is, health-wise, with everything, but yeah, we should clear that up soon.”
Aspinall resolved it himself 48 hours later.
Two vacant titles in one month
Valentina Shevchenko vacated the women’s flyweight title due to an undisclosed injury. That division already has its replacement plan: Natalia Silva against Cong Wang for the undisputed belt at UFC 332 on Oct. 3.
Heavyweight is now wide open for the first time since Aspinall ascended. Gane is the obvious first name in the frame given the unfinished business, and contenders are already campaigning publicly for a shot.
The next UFC event is UFC 331 on Sept. 19, headlined by Van vs. Pantoja 2.
Aspinall is 33 and says he will be back as soon as he is medically able. Eye injuries are the one category in combat sports where “as soon as possible” can mean never. Here is hoping it does not.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.