Stipe Miocic is giving Tom Aspinall credit for giving up the UFC heavyweight championship while his injured eye keeps him out of the cage, according to a report carried by Central Oregon Daily.
It’s a notable endorsement. Miocic held the heavyweight title twice, so he knows exactly what Aspinall handed back. The report frames his comments as praise for the decision itself, and that’s the full extent of what’s on the record so far. No direct quotes have surfaced, so I won’t pretend otherwise.
The injury goes back to UFC 321 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 26, 2025. Aspinall was hit in the eye during his title fight with Ciryl Gane, the bout ended in a no-contest, and the complications haven’t let up since. Athlon, via Yahoo Sports, noted that more than a year has passed and Aspinall hasn’t offered a recent update on when he might return.
Once Aspinall vacated, Gane’s interim belt was upgraded to the undisputed title. Now Gane makes his first defense against Josh Hokit at UFC 334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden, streaming on Paramount+.
Hokit is 10-0 and didn’t take the easy road there. Dana White admitted on The Jim Rome Show that he threw some tough guys at Hokit because he didn’t like his trash talk. Hokit answered by beating Curtis Blaydes in a Fight of the Year candidate and then trouncing Derrick Lewis at the White House in June. He has also released a diss track that takes aim at Aspinall’s eye injury, which is one way to build a future fight.
Aspinall still sits at No. 1 in MMA Mania’s Meta Rankings at heavyweight, behind only Gane. He has said he’d happily run it back with Gane in France. “You’re up for it? I’ll do that. Let me know. I don’t mind. I’ll go to Paris. I’ll be there,” Aspinall said in a vlog reacting to Gane’s UFC Freedom 250 performance.
The line behind him is getting crowded. Alexander Volkov beat Rizvan Kuniev at UFC 333 and has won seven of his last eight, with his lone loss in that stretch a disputed split decision to Gane in December 2024 that White has acknowledged was an injustice. Alex Pereira, who lost to Gane in his heavyweight debut, is expected to face Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 335 in December. The UFC has historically taken care of champions who vacate due to injury, with Georges St-Pierre and Dominick Cruz among the examples Athlon cited, so Aspinall’s spot should be safe whenever a doctor signs off.
My take: Aspinall made the right call, and Miocic is right to say so. The alternative was a champion frozen in medical limbo and another stopgap interim strap floating around the division, which is the worst habit this sport has. Instead the belt went to an active fighter, Hokit earned his shot the hard way, and MSG gets a real title fight on Nov. 14. If Aspinall’s eye ever cooperates, he walks back in as the most dangerous challenger in the division, and the winner at the Garden will know it.
