Daniel Cormier recently claimed that Tom Aspinall is the toughest test in the UFC heavyweight division.
Aspinall has been out of the octagon since his first UFC heavyweight title defence ended in a no-contest result against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 in 2025.

What happened?

Ciryl Gane accidentally poked Aspinall in the eye, and the 33-year-old heavyweight champion was unable to continue beyond the first round at the Etihad Arena.

Aspinall had surgery on both of his eyes in early 2026 for a rare condition that he had.
The Salford-born fighter is now targeting a return to the MMA octagon.

Why it matters for Daniel Cormier

Daniel Cormier explained that Gane was a “real heavyweight” in his eyes, and the toughest test that Pereira could have taken for his heavyweight debut outside of facing UFC title holder Aspinall.

Cormier added that Gane was the hardest fight for Pereira in the division outside of Tom Aspinall.
The 47-year-old UFC legend claimed that the scales were already tipped in Gane’s favour because of his weight going into the Pereira encounter last month.

What comes next?

A rematch between Gane and Aspinall for the UFC heavyweight title has not been officially confirmed, despite being in the works at the moment.
Aspinall revealed late last month that he had been cleared to return to “full training” and was in “talks” with the UFC over his rematch with Ciryl Gane.

Gane set up a second encounter with Aspinall after the 36-year-old French UFC star won the interim heavyweight title against Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250.
Alex Pereira made his debut at heavyweight and the 38-year-old Brazilian MMA fighter suffered a second-round TKO defeat to Gane at the White House-hosted event.

Cormier was asked how he would have coached Gane for the Pereira fight at UFC White House had he been in the interim heavyweight champion’s corner.
The UFC legend claimed that Gane has not weighed 185 pounds since he was 15 years old, making him a “real heavyweight” at 37 years old.

Aspinall is now targeting a return to the MMA octagon after his surgery.
The UFC heavyweight title rematch between Gane and Aspinall is expected to be a highly anticipated event.