# Dana White hints Tom Aspinall's belt could go

> A year without a title defence has the UFC openly weighing whether its heavyweight champion should still hold the belt.
- Title: Dana White hints Tom Aspinall's belt could go · Newsweek
- Summary: A year without a title defence has the UFC openly weighing whether its heavyweight champion should still hold the belt. A champion who cannot get in the cage…
- Keywords: ufc, tom aspinall, dana white, mma, heavyweight title, Dana, White, hints, Tom, Aspinall's, belt, Newsweek
- Source: Newsweek — https://newsweek.com/sports/mma/ufc-considering-stripping-tom-aspinall-of-heavyweight-championship-12436801
- Author: Matthew Couden
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: ufc, tom aspinall, dana white, mma, heavyweight title
## A year, no defence
Tom Aspinall has not defended the UFC heavyweight championship in twelve months, and the promotion is starting to say so out loud.
## White opens the door
Asked after Noche UFC whether Aspinall might be told to vacate, the UFC president did not shut it down. He said the conversation is coming.

> We'll definitely be talking about that.
## The Shevchenko precedent
Valentina Shevchenko gave up the women's strawweight belt after an injury cost her a year. White pointed straight at that as the template.

> Valentina doesn't want to tie up the division. And I'm assuming Tom feels the same way.
## Two eye pokes, several surgeries
At UFC 321 last October, Ciryl Gane poked Aspinall in the eye twice. The bout became a no contest, and the damage required multiple operations.
## A rematch with no date
Surgeries were meant to finish by mid-January, but no return timeline followed. Talk of a Gane rematch headlining UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden is still just talk.
## Hearn in the middle
Aspinall signed with Eddie Hearn's new agency in February, and Hearn wants a new UFC deal. Critics think that feud with White is pushing the belt out of Aspinall's hands.
## Key takeaway

A champion who cannot get in the cage becomes a problem the promotion eventually solves without him.