Tom Aspinall made one major request to UFC before vacating heavyweight title which they agreed to

Tom Aspinall's only "request" is to fight for the UFC lightweight title once he returns from his ongoing injury complications.

Aspinall suffered injuries to both eyes when Cyril Gane poked him during their fight at UFC 321 last October. The referee was forced to wave the fight off when the 33-year-old claimed his vision was impaired.

The Englishman has since undergone surgery and hasn't returned to the Octagon, revealing on Monday (September 14) that he's vacating the UFC heavyweight title.

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Tom Aspinall's 'request' is to fight for the UFC heavyweight title once he returns

The MMA superstar wrote a heartbreaking Instagram post confirming he had suffered 'further damage' to his eye while sparring, but quickly pointed out that he isn't stepping away from the sport altogether.

"We have worked closely with different doctors and specialists to try and make my return happen, but unfortunately, it's simply not possible right now. I'm absolutely gutted. I've chased this dream since I was 10 years old," Aspinall said as part of a lengthy statement.

"I'm not done. Stepping away from the title is not stepping away from the sport or the dream. I'll continue doing everything I can to get healthy, get cleared, and get back to competing as soon as possible."

Although not confirmed, it's likely Gane, who defeated Alex Pereira to become interim heavyweight champion, will be upgraded to undisputed king and defend the belt next in Aspinall's absence.

But well-known combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani has since revealed that the Salford-born fighter only vacated his heavyweight belt with the promise that he can battle for his title once he's cleared to return.

"I reached out to Tom yesterday after hearing Dana White’s comments at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. The tone felt different. It felt like something was imminent," Helwani wrote on X.

"What I was told is that Tom wanted to make this announcement 3-4 weeks ago. No gun was put to his head. His only request was that he be able to fight for the title when he comes back."

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Eddie Hearn releases Tom Aspinall statement

The Englishman vacated his title following Dana White's comments, and one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet will want to build on his record of 15 wins from 18 MMA fights once he returns.

Aspinall finds himself in a similar situation to Valentina Shevchenko, whose injury would keep her out for an extended time. Shevchenko decided to abandon her championship status, allowing others to fight for the belt until she recovers.

Eddie Hearn, who signed Aspinall to his Matchroom Boxing Agency banner in March, has since released a statement on the news, praising him for showing class in the face of adversity.

"This has been an incredibly challenging time for Tom. But he has shown his total class throughout," Hearn said. "Everyone at Matchroom is with him every step of the way. We are confident that he will succeed in his ultimate goal to return to the Octagon and reclaim the title that is rightfully his."