UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall ripped the stoppage that handed Oleksandr Usyk an 11th-round win over kickboxing icon Rico Verhoeven, calling the result “outrageous.” The reaction, picked up by MMA Fighting, Sherdog and Heavy on May 25, has Aspinall accusing the referee — and boxing itself — of robbing Verhoeven on the cards and in the ring.
According to MMA Fighting’s Morning Report, Aspinall used the word “outrageous” to describe the late stoppage that ended the crossover bout. Sherdog went further, reporting that Aspinall believes the winner “was decided beforehand” — a shot aimed at the sport, not at Usyk personally. Heavy and HITC both confirmed Aspinall’s reaction landed within hours of the 11th-round finish, with HITC adding that former UFC champion Francis Ngannou voiced similar frustration over the officiating.
Per MMA Sucka, Aspinall aimed most of his fire at the referee’s intervention rather than the judging, arguing Verhoeven wasn’t given a fair chance to keep going. None of the outlets reported a response from Usyk’s camp, the referee, or the sanctioning body overseeing the bout. Aspinall hasn’t said whether he plans to push the issue further.
The Briton still sits atop the UFC heavyweight division but hasn’t fought since UFC 321 on October 25, 2025, when his title defense against Ciryl Gane ended in a no-contest at 4:35 of round one. That result left the heavyweight picture in limbo, with a rematch widely discussed but not yet booked. Aspinall’s last clean win came at UFC 304 in July 2024 — a first-round knockout of Curtis Blaydes.
The question now is what’s next. The UFC has not announced Aspinall’s return date or opponent, and the promotion has yet to confirm whether the Gane rematch will headline an early-2026 card. For now, Aspinall is filing public commentary on combat sports outside his own division — a role that keeps his name in circulation while the heavyweight title scene waits on word from UFC matchmakers.
