Josh Hokit rips Tom Aspinall for inactivity, wants Pereira-Gane

Undefeated heavyweight contender Josh Hokit has called out Tom Aspinall for allegedly holding up the UFC's heavyweight division.

Hokit told Sherdog that Aspinall is not pushing for fights and suggested the promotion should book Alex Pereira against Ciryl Gane for the undisputed championship instead. "To get the division moving again, Pereira and Gane should be for the heavyweight championship," Hokit said, per Sherdog.

Hokit questions Aspinall's commitment to defending interim belt

The criticism comes as Aspinall holds the interim heavyweight title but has not yet fought undisputed champion Jon Jones. Hokit referenced Aspinall's recent comments about vision issues as an excuse for inactivity. "You got [Tom Aspinall] claiming that he's blind now," Hokit said in the interview.

Aspinall won the interim strap last July by knocking out Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 and defended it against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 in Manchester. Jones has not competed since March 2023, when he submitted Gane to win the vacant belt.

The UFC has not announced a date for a Jones-Aspinall unification bout. Hokit's own next assignment remains unclear after he moved to 7-0 with a submission win over Istela Nunes at UFC Vegas 101 in January.

Source: sherdog.com