Josh Hokit Calls Out Eddie Hearn Over Tom Aspinall’s UFC Return Delay

It’s been almost a year since Tom Aspinall last fought. At UFC 321, while defending the title for the first time against Ciryl Gane, the British fighter was eye-poked and hurt his eyes so badly that he is still not cleared by doctors to return. Meanwhile, with his return taking so long, undefeated heavyweight Josh Hokit has shared his thoughts and blamed Eddie Hearn for Aspinall not returning yet.

Josh Hokit Questions Why Tom Aspinall Is Still Waiting for UFC Return

Hokit thinks Hearn is using Aspinall’s injury as a way to delay things. Earlier, Aspinall said he would be ready to fight Gane back in June, but now Hearn says he is still waiting to be cleared. Hokit finds this strange because Aspinall has already been training for months and thinks there may be contractual reasons behind the delay.

Hokit said, “Eddie Hearn’s strategy with Aspinall is obvious: stall with ‘he’ll fight when cleared’ to buy time in contract negotiations. Back in June, Tom said he’d fight Gane Sept 6th. Now Eddie is talking out of his a**: ‘He’s training, he’s ready, he’s eager to come back.’ You mean he didn't get medical clearance before starting full training months ago?? Total BS.”

On the internet, Ben Askren’s return after his severe illness, which nearly took his life, has been widely discussed. He came back and competed in a wrestling match. However, Aspinall, who suffered an eye poke, has not yet recovered, which makes things a little weird for fans. While the British fighter has already shown details of his injury, the internet and his fellow fighters continue to take shots at him.

Josh Hokit Calls Himself the Only Real Fight Left for Ciryl Gane

According to Hokit, nobody wants to see Alex Pereira fight Gane again. He believes that if the UFC books him against ‘Poatan,’ Eddie Hearn could keep the negotiations talks going for a long time. Hokit feels he is the best option left for Gane because he is 10-0, has won all his fights at heavyweight, and believes he can give Gane a real challenge.

In his words, “I’m 10-0 (I've won all my fights at HW unlike low IQ, portugues, indian guy) and I put on a show. Ciryl and I need to find out who the best athlete in the UFC is. I’m the only man who can make him pay for being a dirty POS & I won't need a year off or blame a ref. Incredible Hok vs. Ciryl Gane, Sergei Pavlovich vs. Alex Pereira. Let’s have a fucking party at MSG.”

Indeed, Hokit has stayed undefeated, and in his last fight, he knocked out Derrick Lewis. That win showed what he can do and why he believes he has what it takes to face Gane.