The UFC heavyweight division seems to be on hold with the uncertainty surrounding the champion’s return to the cage.

There’s still no update on an exact timetable for Tom Aspinall, as he recovers from the eye injury sustained in his last title fight back in October. Aspinall suffered a double eye poke in his UFC 321 championship fight against Ciryl Gane – an incident that left Aspinall unable to continue fighting, thus turning his first undisputed title defense into a no contest. Immediately after the bout, UFC CEO Dana White said the plan was to quickly do an immediate rematch. However, Aspinall’s slow recovery has prevented those plans from coming together.

Cortes-Acosta (17-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC), who’s made a quick rise to the top of the division over the last few months, thinks the UFC should implement an interim title at heavyweight, as the champion continues his road back to competition, and he would like to be considered in that equation.

“If I don’t get (UFC) Mexico, I want to fight Volkov or Ciryl Gane. They’re waiting,” Cortes-Acosta told Hablemos MMA in Spanish. “I assume Tom Aspinall is not fighting anytime soon, so why not put an interim title in place? Whoever wins fights the champion, should they make the rematch between Ciryl Gane and Tom Aspinall. That would be good.”

Cortes-Acosta is coming off a big KO win over former UFC title challenger Derrick Lewis in the main card of last month’s UFC 324 – the first UFC event of 2026. He was hoping to get another quick turnaround for UFC Mexico on Feb. 28, but sees it as unlikely. Should the UFC implement an interim belt, he has no problem fighting either Gane or Alexander Volkov, his fellow top title contenders in the division.

“Any of the two are fine,” Cortes-Acosta explained. “Any of the two can put me to fight for an interim title. For example, the UFC goes, ‘Waldo, you and Volkov fight for the interim and take on the winner of the rematch between Gane and Aspinall,’ or maybe the UFC goes. ‘Ciryl Gane, fight him for the interim belt, and the winner fights Tom Aspinall.’ So any of those two options are fine with me.”

“Salsa Boy” wants to make it clear that he’s ready to go whenever the UFC needs him. Name a place, and date and Cortes-Acosta is there.

“They know that I’m always ready, and they can always count on me,” Cortes-Acosta said. “Many fighters are not ready, and when they’re making their decisions, they need fighters who are ready to go. I’m always ready to fight. They know it.”

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Top UFC heavyweights stalled by champ’s injury. Interim title time?