UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall responded to Dana White’s recent remarks about their relationship ahead of his comeback.
Tom Aspinall remains without a timeline for a return to the Octagon after suffering multiple eye injuries in his first undisputed heavyweight title defense at UFC 321 last year. Just minutes into his fight with Ciryl Gane, Gane accidentally poked Aspinall in both eyes, resulting in Aspinall undergoing multiple surgeries to repair his vision.
UFC CEO Dana White raised eyebrows after the Aspinall vs. Gane no-contest when he seemed somewhat dismissive of Aspinall’s injuries and unwillingness to continue competing. This clearly rubbed Aspinall the wrong way, and White has since publicly expressed regret for the remarks in a recent interview with Piers Morgan.
White says he and Aspinall ‘need to talk’ before negotiating the lineal heavyweight champion’s next fight, which could be a rematch against Gane. But Aspinall doesn’t seem as keen to speak with the UFC head.
Tom Aspinall: ‘I don’t have a relationship with Dana White’
In a recent interview with The Stomping Ground, Aspinall responded to White’s recent admission about their relationship since UFC 321.
“There might be [a call], but I don’t know. My Dad’s my manager, been there since the beginning…I don’t really have a relationship with Dana,” Aspinall said.
“I like [UFC CBO] Hunter Campbell, he’s a very humble, decent human being. Something that I’ve learned from this whole injury thing and the backlash I’ve got, stuff like that, you’ve got to make as much money and be as ruthless as possible.
“Nobody in there is your friend, and you have to capitalize on the time you have in the sport.”
As of this writing, Aspinall remains without a specific timeline for a return to the Octagon, and an interim heavyweight title bout to determine the next contender remains a possibility. In the meantime, things between Aspinall and White seem testy after UFC 321.
Who do you think Tom Aspinall should fight next in his UFC return? Let us know in the comments!