Dana White denies rift with Tom Aspinall after heavyweight title vacancy and Hearn link-up

UFC president Dana White dismissed suggestions of a personal rift with Tom Aspinall at the post-fight press conference following UFC 331, calling the notion “the furthest thing from the truth” after the Briton vacated the heavyweight title amid complications from an eye injury.

Aspinall relinquished the UFC heavyweight championship after the eye problem prevented him from returning to competition. He has since aligned himself with promoter Eddie Hearn, who has been publicly critical of Aspinall’s contract terms and the broader UFC business model — a combination that fuelled speculation of tension between the fighter and the promotion’s leadership.

White, however, was unequivocal in his denial. “No, that’s not the case,” he told reporters. “It’s the furthest thing from the truth. He’s going through stuff with the doctor. He knows it’s going to be a while before he comes back. This is totally normal.”

The UFC boss suggested that a sequence of public comments — from both himself and Aspinall — may have been misread by fans and media. “I think because of what I might have said or what he might have responded to, what I said after the thing, that people think that I don’t like Tom,” White said. “I have no reason to not like Tom. Tom’s never done anything for me not to like him.”

White also made clear that if genuine dislike were present, there would be no ambiguity about it — a pointed remark that underscored his insistence the current situation is purely medical rather than personal.

Aspinall is continuing to seek further specialist medical advice on the eye injury, and White indicated the timeline for a return to competition remains uncertain. The heavyweight title picture at the UFC now awaits clarity on both Aspinall’s health and the promotion’s plans for the division.