UFC president Dana White has expressed his disapproval after British heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall said he would rather vacate his title than fight his friend and training partner Ante Delija. Aspinall, 32, defends the undisputed heavyweight title for the first time on Saturday at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi, facing Ciryl Gane.
Aspinall was elevated from interim champion this summer after Jon Jones retired and vacated the belt. If he beats Gane, the UFC may soon ask him to face Delija, who debuted in September with a knockout win over Marcin Tybura and surged into the heavyweight top ten. Speaking on the ShxtsnGigs Podcast, Aspinall said: 'I'd be like: 'I'll vacate it, and he can have his time.' I wouldn't fight him. No chance.'
Responding to Aspinall's comments, White told TNT Sports: 'You know what I think about that. I hate that. Many friends, relatives – name it – have all fought each other before. It doesn't [matter] whether you are friends with somebody or you hate somebody; you're competing with them to see who the best is.' He added: 'To even think about vacating it because you don't want to compete against somebody is absolutely insane, but he's a grown man.'
Aspinall last fought in July 2024 in Manchester, knocking out Curtis Blaydes in just over a minute. His opponent on Saturday, Ciryl Gane, is a former interim champion who has twice failed to win the undisputed belt, losing to Francis Ngannou in 2022 and Jon Jones in 2023. Gane last fought in December, controversially outpointing Alexander Volkov.
