TOM ASPINALL has shut down claims he has left the UFC and provided an update on his long-awaited return.
The heavyweight champion was at the centre of online speculation after reports claimed his striking coach Stipe Drvis had announced his departure during an Instagram Live.
Aspinall, 32, quickly dismissed the rumours.
He said: “I’m not leaving the UFC.
“I’ve never said I have in any interview, and any words that have been taken from others today are simply not true.”
Sources close to the Brit also confirmed to SunSport that the reports were false.
Aspinall has been sidelined since his controversial UFC 321 meeting with Ciryl Gane last October.
The fight was declared a no contest after a double eye poke left Aspinall unable to continue.
He later underwent two eye surgeries in February and has been gradually working his way back towards full training.
Aspinall said: “We are talking with the UFC daily and they update you guys always.”
The heavyweight is expected to face Gane again when he returns.
Gane captured the interim title with a second-round stoppage of Alex Pereira at the White House in June, setting up a potential rematch with Aspinall.
If the fight happens before the end of the year, it could headline either UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden on November 14 or UFC 335 on December 12.
