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Tom Aspinall remains on the shelf, and a former two-division champion thinks the UFC heavyweight titleholder should relinquish his gold.

Aspinall has been out of action since suffering a double eye poke against Ciryl Gane. The bout, which ended in a no contest, took place back in Oct. 2025, and Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn said his fighter needs to undergo additional testing on his eyes before he can compete again. UFC CEO Dana White recently confirmed to reporters that the heavyweight division will roll along with Aspinall on the sidelines.

Speaking to MMAJunkie.com, former bantamweight and flyweight champion Henry Cejudo said in order for the heavyweight division to truly move forward, Aspinall should give up the title.

“Give up the title, bro,” Cejudo said. “Give up the title and let your eye recover and that’s it. Let the other dudes fight. Let the winner of Josh Hokit and Alex Pereira fight Ciryl Gane for the undisputed.”

Gane is the current interim champion having stopped Alex Pereira via second-round TKO at UFC Freedom 250. “Poatan” has called for a rematch, but Cejudo doesn’t think it makes sense.

“It would be wrong for them to give (a title shot) to Pereira,” Cejudo said. “There’s a storyline there with Josh Hokit and Pereira. That’s the fight that needs to happen. But it’s the UFC, Paramount and the sport. They could make it happen, though. Is it deserving? No. I think Ciryl Gane would really put the lights out again in a similar fashion because he’s a bigger guy with lateral movement and motions. Pereira can hit, but you don’t have that heavyweight thump. It’s different. But I think Pereira probably doesn’t want to go against a guy like Josh Hokit. He has a big mouth and uses his wrestling. You saw what he did to Derrick Lewis. You already know this guy is good.”

With Aspinall still unable to return, it’ll be interesting to see what the UFC brass has planned. Many have spoken out against the idea of Gane vs. Pereira 2 given that their June clash ended emphatically. We’ll keep you posted on the status of the heavyweight title picture.

Do you agree with Henry Cejudo here? Should Tom Aspinall be stripped of the UFC Heavyweight Championship? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM