Henry Cejudo: Tom Aspinall ‘needs to vacate or be stripped at this point’

Henry Cejudo believes Tom Aspinall should lose his heavyweight title if he cannot return to competition soon. Speaking on his Pound-4-Pound podcast, the former double champion called for Aspinall to either vacate the belt voluntarily or face a forced stripping, arguing that a year away from active competition is too long for any champion to hold gold without fighting.

Aspinall has been sidelined since October 2025, when he suffered consecutive eye pokes from Ciryl Gane during their UFC 321 title fight. The bout ended in a no-contest, and Aspinall subsequently underwent eye surgery. With no return date announced, he is on track to spend a full calendar year away from the octagon by late October 2026.

Cejudo's frustration extends beyond Aspinall's injury. He criticized the heavyweight champion's manager, Matchroom Boxing chief Eddie Hearn, for creating friction with UFC CEO Dana White. "Eddie Hearn does not help Tom Aspinall," Cejudo said. "He's got no leverage." Cejudo suggested that Hearn's public disputes with White—including calling Aspinall's contract "a f*cking disgrace"—have weakened Aspinall's position rather than strengthened it. Cejudo warned that antagonizing White is "not good business" and unlikely to yield favorable negotiations.

While some UFC champions, such as bantamweight titlist Kayla Harrison, have sat out extended periods while retaining their titles, Cejudo predicted the UFC will not extend similar courtesy to Aspinall. He forecast that once the one-year mark passes, the promotion will demand either a voluntary vacatur or a stripping, likely leaving Aspinall with little choice in how his reign ends. Aspinall's layoff compounds a broader pattern of missed time: he has fought only four times since July 2022, including a year-long absence following a knee injury suffered in a loss to Curtis Blaydes.