Josh Hokit demands Tom Aspinall be stripped of UFC heavyweight title

UFC heavyweight contender Josh Hokit has publicly demanded that Tom Aspinall be stripped of his heavyweight title. In a series of posts on X, Hokit questioned the validity of Aspinall’s championship status following a delayed return to competition caused by a bilateral eye injury.

Aspinall suffered the injury, diagnosed as bilateral traumatic Brown’s syndrome, following eye pokes from Ciryl Gane during their UFC 321 title fight in October 2025. The bout was subsequently ruled a no-contest. Hokit criticized the division for allowing a champion who is not medically cleared to fight to retain the belt, while also suggesting Aspinall is using his situation as a bargaining chip in the ongoing friction between UFC CEO Dana White and boxing promoter Eddie Hearn.

In addition to his criticisms of Aspinall, Hokit expressed interest in facing former two-division champion Alex Pereira. Hokit proposed the matchup as a high-stakes fight that could serve as a path toward a title shot, noting that Aspinall’s current status makes a direct title pursuit difficult.