{"id":40414,"date":"2026-09-10T04:37:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T04:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sherdog.com\/news\/news\/Waldo-CortesAcosta-Tom-Aspinall-is-not-a-champion-202740"},"modified":"2026-09-10T04:37:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T04:37:00","slug":"waldo-cortes-acosta-tom-aspinall-is-not-a-champion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.martialartskleinanzeigen.com\/videos\/waldo-cortes-acosta-tom-aspinall-is-not-a-champion\/","title":{"rendered":"Waldo Cortes-Acosta: Tom Aspinall is \u2018not a champion\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
<\/div>\n

Waldo
\nCortes-Acosta<\/a> no longer considers Tom
\nAspinall<\/a> the champion of the
\nUltimate Fighting Championship<\/a> heavyweight division.<\/p>\n

Aspinall\u2019s first heavyweight title defense against Ciryl Gane<\/a>
\nended in an anticlimactic no-contest in October 2025. The
\nEnglishman was unable to continue after Gane simultaneously poked
\nhim in both eyes in the first round. Aspinall has since been
\ninactive, recovering from multiple eye procedures, but
\nCortes-Acosta claims he\u2019s avoiding a rematch with Gane.<\/p>\n

\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Cortes-Acosta accuses UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall of
\navoiding Ciryl Gane<\/h2>\n

Gane won the interim heavyweight title with a second-round knockout
\nof Alex
\nPereira<\/a> at
\nUFC Freedom 250<\/a>, paving the way for a rematch with Aspinall.
\nCortes-Acosta believes Aspinall has had sufficient time to recover
\nfrom his injury and claims the Brit is inactive because he doesn\u2019t
\nwant to fight Gane again.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s frustrating to see the champion be like this,\u201d Cortes-Acosta
\nsaid at
\nNoche UFC 4<\/a> media day. \u201cHe knows that he needs to come back and
\nfight with Ciryl Gane. I think, sorry for the language, but he is a
\np*ssy. I think he had a long time to heal and come back and fight
\nfor the title. For me, this is not a champion. A champion needs to
\nbe a warrior in the ring and not a p*ssy. We don\u2019t know where he\u2019s
\nat. He is hiding because he doesn\u2019t want to fight Ciryl Gane.\u201d<\/p>\n

UFC CEO Dana
\nWhite<\/a> and Aspinall\u2019s advisor, Eddie Hearn, have both indicated
\nthat the champion\u2019s recovery is still ongoing, pushing his Octagon
\nreturn further back. Meanwhile, Cortes-Acosta (17-3) is scheduled
\nto fight Curtis
\nBlaydes<\/a> (19-6) in a pivotal heavyweight matchup at Desert
\nDiamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.<\/p>\n