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Waldo Cortes-Acosta: Tom Aspinall is ‘not a champion’ Waldo Cortes-Acosta no longer considers Tom Aspinall the champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship division. Aspinall’s first heavyweight title defense against Ciryl Gane ended in an anticlimactic no-contest in October 2025. The Englishman was unable to continue after Gane simultaneously poked him in both eyes in the first round. Aspinall has since been inactive, recovering from multiple eye procedures, but Cortes-Acosta claims he’s avoiding a rematch with Gane. Gane won the interim heavyweight title with a second-round knockout of Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250, paving the way for a rematch with Aspinall. Cortes-Acosta believes Aspinall has had sufficient time to recover from his injury and claims the Brit is inactive because he doesn’t want to fight Gane again. “It’s frustrating to see the champion be like this,” Cortes-Acosta said at Noche UFC 4 media day. “He knows that he needs to come back and fight with Ciryl Gane. I think, sorry for the language, but he is a p*ssy. I think he had a long time to heal and come back and fight for the title. For me, this is not a champion. A champion needs to be a warrior in the ring and not a p*ssy. We don’t know where he’s at. He is hiding because he doesn’t want to fight Ciryl Gane.” UFC CEO Dana White and Aspinall’s advisor, Eddie Hearn, have both indicated that the champion’s recovery is still ongoing, pushing his Octagon return further back. Meanwhile, Cortes-Acosta (17-3) is scheduled to fight Curtis Blaydes (19-6) in a pivotal heavyweight matchup at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Aspinall’s first heavyweight title defense against Ciryl Gane ended in an anticlimactic no-contest in October 2025. The Englishman was unable to continue after Gane simultaneously poked him in both eyes in the first round. Aspinall has since been inactive, recovering from multiple eye procedures, but Cortes-Acosta claims he’s avoiding a rematch with Gane. Advertisement Cortes-Acosta accuses UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall of avoiding Ciryl Gane Gane won the interim heavyweight title with a second-round knockout of Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250, paving the way for a rematch with Aspinall. Cortes-Acosta believes Aspinall has had sufficient time to recover from his injury and claims the Brit is inactive because he doesn’t want to fight Gane again. “It’s frustrating to see the champion be like this,” Cortes-Acosta said at Noche UFC 4 media day. “He knows that he needs to come back and fight with Ciryl Gane. I think, sorry for the language, but he is a p*ssy. I think he had a long time to heal and come back and fight for the title. For me, this is not a champion. A champion needs to be a warrior in the ring and not a p*ssy. We don’t know where he’s at. He is hiding because he doesn’t want to fight Ciryl Gane.” UFC CEO Dana White and Aspinall’s advisor, Eddie Hearn, have both indicated that the champion’s recovery is still ongoing, pushing his Octagon return further back. Meanwhile, Cortes-Acosta (17-3) is scheduled to fight Curtis Blaydes (19-6) in a pivotal heavyweight matchup at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. « Previous Jake Paul wants Michael Page following UFC exit: 'Bring MVP to MVP' Next Roberto Soldic says UFC pay ‘not even close’ to One Championship deal » More