UFC star Tom Aspinall has officially vacated the UFC heavyweight championship due to ongoing issues with his eyes.

Ever since UFC 321 almost a year ago, Tom Aspinall has been dealing with severe injuries to his eyes as a result of pokes from Ciryl Gane. While he has been on the road to recovery and seemed to be showing progress, we now know that he will be unable to defend the belt at any point in the near future.

RELATED: Dana White denies issues with Tom Aspinall amid striking coach's claims: “He's not going anywhereâ€

Tom Aspinall is one of the most exceptionally talented heavyweights we have seen in recent memory, but off the back of what happened against Gane, we may never get to see what he could really accomplish inside the Octagon.

In a recent Instagram post, after recent suggestions from Dana White that he could be stripped, Tom Aspinall announced that he will be relinquishing the gold.

Tom Aspinall vacates UFC heavyweight title

“Anything you read in the media is simply noise. People are creating their own narratives. This is the truth:

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.

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. This means more time away from the sport, and right now, the timing of my return is unclear.

I know there have been questions about why I've been quiet. I've always followed the advice of the UFC and focused on my recovery while we've tried to make this happen.

I've now made the decision to vacate the heavyweight title. 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.

The UFC and Hunter have been informed every step of the way and have seen the tests, procedures and medical information relating to my eyes. We have worked closely with different doctors and specialists to try and make my return happen, but unfortunately, it's simply not possible right now.

I'm absolutely gutted. I've chased this dream since I was 10 years old.

I'm not done.

Stepping away from the title is not stepping away from the sport or the dream. I'll continue doing everything I can to get healthy, get cleared and get back to competing as soon as possible.
What makes this particularly difficult is that many of the complications I'm dealing with are a result of fouls that changed the course of my career. Fighters rely on officials to enforce the rules and protect us in those moments, and it's hard to still be dealing with the consequences today.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout this absolute nightmare.

I'll be back as soon as I'm medically able to be.

Tomâ€

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This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

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Khamzat
Chimaev believes Arman
Tsarukyan is levels above Mauricio
Ruffy.

Tsarukyan (23-3) is scheduled to fight Ruffy (14-2) in a pivotal

Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight bout on Sept. 19 at
Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. While Chimaev considers Ruffy one
of the best strikers in the UFC right now, “Borz†believes
Tsarukyan won't face much adversity if he mixes in his ground game
at UFC
331.

Chimaev says Tsarukyan’s wrestling and grappling are on a
different level from Ruffy’s

According to Chimaev, Tsarukyan's wrestling and grappling are
levels above his Brazilian counterpart's. The former UFC
middleweight champ Chimaev acknowledges Ruffy's elite striking
ability, but notes that Tsarukyan can hold his own on the feet as
well.

“Ruffy's a top fighter, I think he is one of the best strikers in
the UFC right now,†Chimaev told Adam Zubayraev. “I think if Arman
works on both levels, there won't be any problems at all. Arman's
wrestling and grappling level and Ruffy's are two completely
different levels. Completely different. [Ruffy] is very good on the
feet. Arman is very good on the feet. Arman feels very confident on
the feet.â€

Chimaev and Tsarukyan are close friends and work on their strength
and conditioning together at The Treigning Lab under Sam Calavitta.
They've also cornered one another previously, with Chimaev rumored
to be in Tsarukyan's corner at UFC 331.

Tsarukyan was on the cusp of challenging for UFC gold last year,
but was removed from the title picture after pulling out of his
maiden title fight in the UFC against then-lightweight champ
Islam
Makhachev in January 2025. He has since finished Dan Hooker to
extend his win streak to five straight.

Meanwhile, Ruffy is coming off finishes against Rafael
Fiziev and Michael
Chandler since suffering his lone UFC loss to Benoit St.
Denis last year.

For Jean
Silva, his recent fight against Jose
Delgado was his maiden main event in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Silva (18-3) headlined
Noche UFC 4 against Delgado (12-3) on Sept. 12 at Desert
Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. The Brazilian survived an early
knockdown and turned the tide in the second round before making
Delgado tap to a rear-naked choke in the third frame.

While this was Silva's second UFC headliner, he considers it his
first.

Jean Silva explains why his UFC loss to Diego Lopes made the
Jose Delgado win so meaningful

Silva took on Diego Lopes
at
Noche UFC 3 last year. While Lopes dominated the first round,
Silva gained momentum in the second round, landing serious damage
on his opponent. Lopes later dropped Silva with a sneaky spinning
back elbow before landing heavy ground-and-pound to secure the
finish.

Silva considers the win over Delgado his first UFC main event as he
claims to have no recollection of his loss to Lopes. “Lord†admits
that the defeat took something away from him, including the
memories from the fight.

“I pulled my [team] aside in a corner before the fight tonight and
told them, ‘I don't have any memories of what happened at Noche UFC
last year.' It did take something away from me,†Silva said at the
post-fight presser. “I wanted it said because I wanted to have the
memory of my first main event and I do not have any of that. I know
the history books are going to say this is my second main event,
but to me it was the first. So, I'm very happy that tonight I was
able to make good memories and I will remember them forever.â€