Mike Perry speaks out after suffering injury during upset loss to Brandon Jenkins: “Health is wealthâ€
Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Ben Roberts Photo/Getty Images
UFC CEO Dana White isn't confident in Tom Aspinall returning to the Octagon anytime soon as he recovers from his eye injuries.
UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall remains sidelined after multiple eye injuries suffered against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 last year. Just minutes into their UFC 321 title fight, multiple accidental eye pokes from Gane led to the fight being ruled a no contest, as Aspinall retained his heavyweight title in an undesirable fashion.
As of this writing, Aspinall remains sidelined after undergoing multiple eye surgeries to repair his vision in both eyes. During his hiatus, Gane won the interim heavyweight title by finishing former two-division champ Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250 in June.
Immediately after UFC 321, Aspinall expressed disdain for how UFC CEO Dana White responded to his injuries against Gane. White later went on to clarify that he felt that Aspinall wasn't taking the easy way out, and wished him well with his recovery.
Almost a year removed from UFC 321, Aspinall added Matchroom CEO Eddie Hearn to his management team, one of White's biggest enemies in boxing. With no known timetable for Aspinall to be medically cleared to fight, White is prepared to keep the heavyweight division moving.
Dana White mum on Tom Aspinall's UFC future as heavyweight division ‘keeps rolling'
During a recent post-fight press conference, White was asked about Aspinall's future and an update on his UFC return.
“Tom Aspinall is hurt. Until we hear differently, the heavyweight division will just keep rolling,†White said of Aspinall. (h/t MMA Junkie)
White didn't specify whether or not Gane will fight another opponent during Aspinall's absence, or if Gane will wait it out for Aspinall to return.
Aspinall's ongoing hiatus adds to what's been a rocky last few years in the UFC heavyweight division. After Jon Jones' abrupt 2025 retirement and Aspinall's promotion to undisputed champ, the division has lacked continuity in 2026.
Should the UFC strip Tom Aspinall of his title? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Here’s your chance to get your questions in, early and often. Show will go live around 6-6:30-ish p.m. ET, depending on my fun day of travel. Fire away, and we’ll see you tomorrow.
Alexander
Volkanovski is brimming with confidence ahead of his next title
defense.
Volkanovski (28-4) is scheduled to defend his
Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight title against
Movsar
Evloev (20-0) at
UFC 333 on Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The Australian
champion believes he can deliver a career-best performance against
the undefeated Russian.
Alexander Volkanovski doubts Movsar Evloev can outgrapple him
for 25 minutes at UFC 333
Evloev has won all 10 of his UFC bouts by decision, but Volkanovski
doubts the challenger can outgrapple him for five rounds. “The
Great†believes Evloev would need to catch him with a decisive
strike to win.
“Trying to outgrapple me for 25 minutes, I can't see it,â€
Volkanovski told MMA Junkie. “I believe that the only chance that
any of these guys have is for them to catch me… If he thinks he can
beat me by decision or he thinks he can outgrapple me, I'm sure
he's gonna try, we'll see. I'm just very confident in my skills and
the fighter I still am… I think I can do it in pretty wild fashion.
I believe I can get a finish. I believe I can do it inside five… A
lot of people are going to go say after this fight, ‘Is that the
best Volk we’ve ever seen?'â€
Volkanovski first won the title against Max
Holloway in 2019 and defended it five times before losing to
Ilia
Topuria in 2024. He reclaimed the vacant championship against
Diego
Lopes last year after Topuria moved up to lightweight, then
defended it in their rematch in January.
Alexander
Volkanovski forecasts a spectacular finish of Movsar
Evloev at #UFC333. “I think I can do it in pretty wild fashion.
… A lot of people are going to go say after this fight, ‘Is that
the best Volk we’ve ever seen?'” (via @Farah_Hannoun)
https://t.co/YEnSuG15WK
Joaquin
Buckley remains undeterred after his third consecutive defeat
in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Buckley faced Mike Malott in the Canadian's home country at
UFC Edmonton on Saturday. Malott landed a knee in the second
round and followed with a punch before the referee stopped the
bout. Despite the setback, “New Mansa†remains optimistic about his
future.
Joaquin Buckley plans to document his rebuild after Mike
Malott’s UFC Edmonton knockout
Buckley won six straight fights before his current skid. He now
plans to livestream his efforts to rebuild, inviting fans to follow
the process.
“Right now, we rebuilding and I want y'all to see the process, not
just the results,†Buckley wrote in the caption of his postfight
Instagram post. “The highs, the lows, and everything it takes to
become who God called me to be.â€
In the accompanying video, Buckley said he wants to share his
training and introduce fans to his team.
“I realize that I want to document everything,†Buckley said. “I
want to document the process, I want to document the work, I want
to document the team. This is really just starting back over from
scratch; creating a new foundation and making something happen… I'm
not going to stop; I'm going to keep working. And I'll make sure
that everybody remembers that name.â€