The heavyweight bouts from the UFC’s last two events had everyone agreeing on one point – the division needs Tom Aspinall back. It’s not just that the fights are not nearly as entertaining as they used to be. It’s that there is a chasm between the skill level of the championship-calibre contenders and the undercard fillers. While fans struggle to see the division’s future, Aspinall is struggling to see his own, literally.

The irony is not lost on fans. Aspinall waited as the interim champion for over a year for his moment, watched Jon Jones walk away, was crowned undisputed champion, and then saw it all stall within minutes. What was supposed to be a statement defense against Ciryl Gane, after an eye poke, turned into uncertainty, frustration, and now surgery. Again.

Tom Aspinall continues long recovery after eye poke against Ciryl Gane

Over the last few months, his ophthalmologists have worked closely with him, carefully managing a recovery that has no fixed timeline. This reality was reinforced hours ago when Optegra Eye Health Care released behind-the-scenes images of Aspinall’s treatment. “After his highly publicized eye poke injury, Optegra’s expert team is proud to have supported MMA fighter and UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall,” they wrote in the Instagram post.

According to them, the focus has been on a long-term journey rather than a quick fix. Now, after two eye surgeries, the goal is simple but demanding. “Over recent months, we’ve been working closely with him on his recovery,” the post explained. “Following his operation on both eyes, we continue the journey to get Tom’s vision back to fighting fitness.”

The uncertainty hasn’t helped his relationship with the UFC, though. Dana White initially claimed that Tom Aspinall didn’t want to continue the bout, then underplayed the injury before walking back on it and stating that he no longer wanted to address the issue.

Meanwhile, the Briton has been living with the consequences on a daily basis: bad vision, ongoing treatment, and no clear return date. What comes next is still unclear. The goal looks to be a rematch with Ciryl Gane after Tom Aspinall is cleared; however, talk of an interim heavyweight belt has also surfaced.

Dana White told to create another interim UFC title

The uncertainty surrounding Tom Aspinall is beginning to bleed into the bigger heavyweight picture. The UFC has already shown a willingness to use interim titles to keep divisions moving, most notably at lightweight. When the champion is unavailable, the promotion tends to prioritize activity over patience, and the heavyweight is now stuck in the same difficult position.

Waldo Cortes-Acosta has been the first candidate to say it out loud. After stopping Derrick Lewis, he pointed to the logjam at the top and made a simple argument: if Tom Aspinall isn’t close to returning, the division needs something to fight for. “I want to fight Alexander Volkov or Ciryl Gane. They’re waiting,” Cortes-Acosta told Hablemos MMA.

An interim belt, according to him, would at the very least restore direction and provide the winner with a clear path to the real title. “I assume Tom Aspinall is not fighting anytime soon, so why not put an interim title in place? Whoever wins fights the champion, should they make the rematch between Ciryl Gane and Tom Aspinall,” he added.

The timing matters because the heavyweight division can’t get by on reputation alone anymore. Outside of a few elite names, the quality declines quickly. Aspinall’s injury has created a leadership vacuum, and recent fights like Tai Tuivasa vs. Tallison Teixeira and Jailton Almeida vs. Rizvan Kuniev highlight why the division desperately needs its champion back or, at the very least, a compelling interim title fight to restore direction and quality at the top.

Tuivasa and Teixeira traded sluggish blows in a tiring, low-skill, low-stamina bout at UFC 325 that has now become the norm in the division that was once considered the biggest in the UFC in terms of hype. So now, an interim title would not be about creating drama or buzz; it would be about keeping the division sharp while its champion recovers.