Tom Aspinall Sets Ambitious 2025 Goals After Becoming Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion

Newly crowned undisputed UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is done waiting—and he's looking to make 2025 his most active year yet.

After claiming the interim heavyweight belt with a stunning first-round knockout of Sergei Pavlovich in late 2023, Aspinall had only one goal in mind: a showdown with then-undisputed champion Jon Jones. Unfortunately for the British standout, that opportunity never materialized. Jones opted to fight Stipe Miocic instead in November, a bout he won before announcing his retirement shortly thereafter.

The retirement announcement officially cleared the path for Aspinall to ascend from interim to full champion. While the long wait and elusive Jones fight were frustrating, Aspinall is now fully focused on the future. In a recent appearance on Diary of a CEO, he shared his determination to stay active in 2025 after what he views as time lost chasing a fight that never came.

“I’m going to be fighting hopefully twice this year,” Aspinall said. “That’s my plan, at least. I think I’ve wasted enough time. We’re looking to get a fight booked quick and it’s looking like it’s going to be pretty soon, anyway. And then hopefully, if everything goes well in the first one, I’m uninjured — which is easier said than done getting through a fight with a guy my size and coming out with no injuries.

“But if I can do that, I would like to fight at the end of the year as well. That’d be perfect.”

Now fully in control of the heavyweight throne, Aspinall is ready to take on any contender—starting with France’s Ciryl Gane. Gane, currently ranked No. 1 in the division, is one of the few top contenders Aspinall hasn’t already faced. The two have been circling each other for some time, and Aspinall hinted that the Frenchman may have previously avoided the matchup.

“I’ve actually fought a lot of the top 10,” Aspinall noted. “One of the guys I’ve not fought is Ciryl Gane, a French guy. I was actually chasing that fight a few times before. He was ducking and diving around himself a little bit. He is due a little bit of a beating off me. I look forward to that.”

Aspinall’s path to the top has been filled with setbacks, including a serious knee injury that derailed his momentum in 2022. But now healthy and holding the official UFC heavyweight crown, the 31-year-old seems eager to prove himself as a dominant champion through consistent activity and challenging opposition.

His desire to fight twice in 2025 marks a shift from recent years, where injury and matchmaking complications kept him sidelined longer than desired. If Aspinall gets his way, fans can expect a busy and thrilling year from one of the UFC’s most talented big men.

With a growing international fanbase and a reputation for exciting finishes, Aspinall appears poised to lead the heavyweight division into a new era—one built on action, accountability, and fresh matchups.