Tom Aspinall: record, style and what is next

Image: G. Edward Johnson, CC BY 4.0 (event photo; no freely licensed photo of Tom Aspinall was found)

Tom Aspinall is an English heavyweight from Salford who held the UFC heavyweight title until he vacated it on 14 September 2026. As of 30 September 2026 his professional record is 15-3 with one no contest, per Wikipedia. Twelve of the wins are knockouts or TKOs and three are submissions, according to the UFC athlete page. He was born on 11 April 1993, so he is 33.

The reason he is no longer champion is medical, not sporting. He has not fought since the UFC 321 main event in October 2025, which ended in a no contest after an eye poke from Ciryl Gane. On 14 September he wrote that "ongoing complications with my eyes mean I cannot get medically cleared to fight right now", adding that he did not want to hold the heavyweight division up.

He was clear that this is not a retirement. In the same statement he said he was "not done" and would be back as soon as he is medically able. The UFC rankings updated on 29 September list him eighth in the men's pound-for-pound table.

Aspinall wins fast. Eight of his nine UFC fights with a result ended in round one, according to the fight list on Wikipedia, and his last three wins before the Gane fight each took 73 seconds or less. Sherdog's December 2024 numbers piece says he landed 148 significant strikes in the UFC while absorbing 53, and that his 4.09 knockdowns per 15 minutes is second only to Drew McFedries in UFC history.

The base is striking. Sherdog notes he has pro boxing experience, and his fights against Sergei Pavlovich (KO in 1:09) and Curtis Blaydes (KO in 1:00) were settled by clean punches inside roughly a minute. He also carries a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, and three of his 15 wins are submissions, including a first-round straight armbar on Alexander Volkov in March 2022.

That mix is what separates him from most heavyweights. An opponent who respects the punch has to worry about the takedown, and one who covers up for the takedown leaves space for the punch. The sample of long fights is small, though: only Andrei Arlovski took him past round one, and the UFC 321 bout was stopped at 4:35 of the first round without a result.

Aspinall grew up in Salford, on the banks of the River Irwell, and Sherdog's 2021 feature lists pro boxing experience and his jiu-jitsu black belt among his foundations. He made his UFC debut in July 2020 with a first-round TKO of Jake Collier, then finished Alan Baudot in October 2020, Andrei Arlovski by rear-naked choke in February 2021 and Serghei Spivac in September 2021. Sherdog says the Collier and Arlovski wins each earned a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus.

His rise stopped hard on 23 July 2022, when he suffered a knee injury 15 seconds into a fight with Blaydes in London and lost by TKO. He returned on 22 July 2023 with a first-round TKO of Marcin Tybura, again in London.

The breakthrough came at UFC 295 on 11 November 2023 in New York, where he took the interim heavyweight title on short notice by knocking out Pavlovich in 1:09. He defended it on 27 July 2024 at UFC 304 in Manchester with another knockout of Blaydes, this time in 1:00.

In June 2025 Jon Jones retired and Aspinall became the undisputed champion without a further fight. His first defence of the undisputed belt was on 25 October 2025 at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi against Gane.

Before Gane, his last three fights were the wins over Tybura, Pavlovich and Blaydes. The Gane fight never produced a winner. It was stopped at 4:35 of the first round after Gane's fingers caught his eyes, and the result was ruled a no contest, so Aspinall kept the title and his record shows no loss.

The aftermath dominated the next year. He needed multiple eye surgeries, with procedures finished by mid-January 2026 according to Wikipedia, and was later hit by infections and an accident that damaged his right eye again, as he said in his vacating statement. Gane, meanwhile, beat Alex Pereira on 14 June 2026 to win the interim title.

After that win Gane challenged him to a title unification in Paris in September, and Aspinall replied on camera, as reported by ESPN, "I'll go to Paris. Let me know. I'll be there." That fight never happened. ESPN report on the Gane win over Pereira had already said he remained unavailable while recovering from eye surgery, with contractual issues involving his new advisor, the boxing promoter Eddie Hearn.

The vacating announcement followed on 14 September, reported by Yahoo Sports.

Nothing is booked for Aspinall, and no return date has been announced. His 14 September statement said he would return as soon as he is medically able, and the next step is medical clearance, not a matchmaking decision.

The heavyweight division is moving without him. The UFC announced UFC 334 on 25 September for 14 November at Madison Square Garden, with Gane defending the heavyweight title against the unbeaten Josh Hokit, according to Combat Press.

There is a real question about how Gane's status was settled. Combat Press calls him the undisputed champion, while the UFC's own rankings page still listed him as interim champion on 29 September, so check the UFC site for the current wording.

For Aspinall the stakes are simple. A full recovery would put him back among the heavyweight contenders with a long record of fast finishes, and the Gane unification fight would still be the obvious story to settle. Until he is cleared, the no contest remains the last entry on his record.

• UFC: Tom Aspinall athlete page
• UFC: Rankings
• Wikipedia: Tom Aspinall
• Sherdog: By The Numbers, Tom Aspinall
• Sherdog: 5 Things You Might Not Know About Tom Aspinall
• Yahoo Sports: Tom Aspinall vacates UFC heavyweight title due to eye surgery complications
• Low Kick MMA: Why Tom Aspinall vacated the UFC heavyweight title
• ESPN: Tom Aspinall accepts Ciryl Gane challenge
• ESPN: Gane crushes Pereira to capture UFC interim heavyweight title
• Combat Press: UFC 334 brings Gane vs Hokit, Harrison vs Nunes to Madison Square Garden

What is Tom Aspinall's MMA record?

As of 30 September 2026 Tom Aspinall is 15-3 with one no contest. Twelve of his wins are knockouts or TKOs and three are submissions. The no contest came against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 on 25 October 2025, when an eye poke ended the fight in round one.

Why did Tom Aspinall vacate the UFC heavyweight title?

Aspinall vacated on 14 September 2026 because ongoing eye complications mean he cannot be medically cleared to fight. He has had multiple surgeries since the eye poke at UFC 321. He said he did not want to hold the division up and that he is not retiring.

Did Ciryl Gane beat Tom Aspinall?

No. Their UFC 321 fight on 25 October 2025 was ruled a no contest at 4:35 of round one after Gane poked Aspinall in the eye and he could not continue. Aspinall kept the title and the result does not count as a loss. A rematch planned for Paris in September did not happen.

What is Tom Aspinall's fighting style?

Aspinall is a heavyweight who finishes fast with boxing-based striking and holds a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. Twelve of his 15 wins are knockouts or TKOs, and his wins over Sergei Pavlovich and Curtis Blaydes each lasted about a minute. His three submission wins show a real ground threat.

When will Tom Aspinall fight again?

No date has been announced as of 30 September 2026. Aspinall said he will return as soon as he is medically able, but he is not yet cleared to fight. UFC 334 on 14 November features Ciryl Gane against Josh Hokit, so a comeback would come later.