Cormier urges UFC to book Aspinall immediately: 'He is the best heavyweight in the world'

Daniel Cormier has publicly urged the UFC to end its simmering standoff with heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall and book his next fight as quickly as possible, declaring the Briton the best heavyweight on the planet.

Aspinall has been absent from competition for the best part of a year following a no-contest against Ciryl Gane that left him sidelined with injury. The situation deteriorated further when UFC CEO Dana White made public comments that Aspinall took exception to, and the champion subsequently signed a management deal with boxing promoter Eddie Hearn — a man White has famously clashed with. The tension prompted widespread speculation about Aspinall’s future in the promotion, though the champion moved to quash those rumours earlier this week.

For Cormier, the dispute has gone on long enough. Speaking on his YouTube channel, the former two-division UFC champion made his position clear.

“Tom Aspinall needs to be in the UFC,” Cormier said. “Tom Aspinall needs to be back fighting as fast as we can get him, because he is the best heavyweight in the world. Ciryl Gane is good — he looks amazing against Alex Pereira — but ultimately, the heavyweight champ right now is Tom Aspinall and the UFC needs him. So I hope that all this bickering and back-and-forth can be handled so that we can get the heavyweight champ, the baddest man on the planet, back inside of an octagon where he belongs.”

Cormier also addressed the financial temptation of leaving the UFC, arguing that the grass is not as green as it might appear. He pointed to the expanded PFL-MVP partnership as a positive development for the sport but questioned whether any rival organisation could sustain the kind of repeated, high-value paydays the UFC is capable of offering.

“There is money out there on the open market, but then you’ll make the big money once,” Cormier said. “If the UFC is paying Tom Aspinall, say, $3 million to fight — they could pay him $3 million ten times if they needed to. All those other companies, can they do that? That’s what you have to know as a fighter.”

Cormier acknowledged that former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou had successfully monetised his departure through both boxing and MMA, but suggested Aspinall’s options outside the promotion are less straightforward.

Aspinall remains under contract with the UFC, meaning retirement is currently his only route out of the promotion. For now, the champion has indicated he intends to return to the cage, with reports suggesting a rematch against interim champion Ciryl Gane could materialise before the end of the year.