Tom Aspinall promises to vacate UFC belt if title fight offered to one heavyweight

UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is prepared to end his title reign if the promotion offers one Top 10 contender a title shot.

Tom Aspinall is less than two weeks away from making his long-awaited return to the Octagon for the first time as the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion. Aspinall and Ciryl Gane headline a stacked card at UFC 321 for the promotion’s return to Abu Dhabi.

After Jon Jones’s retirement in June, the Aspinall era kicked off in the UFC heavyweight division. Amidst Aspinall’s one-year hiatus from competition, several top contenders have made strong cases for top contender fights.

If Aspinall gets past Gane at UFC 321, he could face one of several new names to enter the heavyweight title mix. But if one specific name gets offered by the UFC brass, he’s prepared to walk away.

Tom Aspinall promises to never fight teammate Ante Delija amidst teammate’s quick ascent

During a recent appearance on ShxtsNGigs podcast, Aspinall made a bold statement about potentially fighting teammate Ante Delija during his heavyweight title reign.

“My friend and training partner [Ante Delija] just got to the UFC, and just beat a guy in Top 10, so he’s potentially 2-3 wins away from a title shot,” Aspinall said.

“So the thing is, if I never won a title, I never touched gold before, we’d have to fight. Because that was my dream. But now that I’ve done it, I’d vacate and he could have his time. I wouldn’t fight him.

“No chance. He’s one of my genuine friends, and there’s some stuff to me that’s more important than money and titles,” Aspinall continued. “I’ve won the title, I’ve done that, and now I’ve got a few more in me before he’s going to be up there anyway. Still a lot more to do, but I can do that more in the time that it takes him to get [into the title conversation].”

Delija defeated Marcin Tybura with a brutal stoppage at UFC Paris last month. Before making his way to the UFC, Delija earned a PFL heavyweight championship in 2022.