Dana White insists Tom Aspinall’s future is currently up in the air.
Aspinall hasn’t fought since being forced out of his UFC clash with Ciryl Gane after multiple eye pokes left him injured.
He has since received surgery, and is yet to plot his return, but is expected to be considered to face the winner of Alex Pereira and Gane’s clash at UFC White House.
But his future has been thrown up in the air after he signed with White’s rival Eddie Hearn’s management label.
Hearn has been left fuming after seeing the financial terms of the UFC heavyweight champion’s contract.
And he has made a public plea for White to release Aspinall, and is going to try and prevent the Briton from taking a fight for now.
In a fresh update on when we could see the title-holder back in the octagon, White remained coy.
He said: “He said he wanted (Aspinall) released right? You release Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez then.
“Sounds pretty stupid, doesn’t it? Congratulations, Eddie. You sound stupid again.
“Let’s see who wins. Let’s see how the fight plays out [at UFC White House]
“I mean, if Eddie’s not going to let his fighter fight, what are you going to do?
“You can’t make anybody fight. You can’t force anybody to fight. You have to want to fight, so we’ll see how it plays out.”
Aspinall – I’m not invited to UFC White House
Pereira’s clash with Gane carries significant importance for Aspinall’s future with the UFC.
Despite the uncertainty around his fighting future, should he return, the interim champion will of course get the first shot.
They could also be elevated in the event that Aspinall does decide to depart the UFC.
But despite it’s significance, Aspinall has revealed he hasn’t yet been asked to attend the historic event.
“No, they’ve not asked me [to come]. No one’s asked me yet,” Aspinall told Fight Your Corner.
“To be honest, I’ve never really thought about it until you asked me.
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“No, I don’t feel disrespected. [UFC] should come to me, I feel. I’d be there, I’d be there; if they asked me, I’d be there for sure.
“If they asked me, I would definitely go. I’ve got a lot of unfinished business.
“Like, me and Gane have got to get this rematch going, and then if I can get a massive fight like a Pereira fight as well, that’s ideal.”
