Tom Aspinall breaks silence on UFC meet, real reason why Ilia Topuria vacated, Cain Velasquez gets jail time: MMA News Roundup

Tom Aspinall opened up on what went down in the meeting with UFC's top executive Hunter Campbell in London. Elsewhere, Ilia Topuria explained vacating the featherweight belt.

Here are today's top combat sports updates, presented by Sportskeeda MMA.

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Tom Aspinall spills the beans on meeting with UFC brass

Tom Aspinall shared a photo of himself and his father Andy exiting a meeting with UFC's Chief Business Officer, Hunter Campbell, in London. Appearing on The Ariel Helwani hours later, the Brit opened up on how the meeting went and where they stand in terms of the fight with Jon Jones.

Aspinall said:

"We had a fantastic meeting. Everything went amazing. I understand my position now, I understand what the company is doing now. And, you've got to stay tuned, my friend, because, there is some big news coming!"

When Helwani asked whether he felt any frustration about having to wait for the fight, the interim UFC heavyweight champion said:

"After the meeting, I'm feeling very optimistic about things. I'm in a really, really, really good spot with everything and my future moving forward... People are saying, 'Jon Jones is holding up your career and stuff.' It's only been 7 months, it's not too bad."

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Ilia Topuria gets 100% real about vacating the featherweight belt

In a recent interview with Men's Health Espana, Ilia Topuria broke the silence on vacating his 145-pound belt before moving up to lightweight. After Dana White's announcement, it was widely assumed that the UFC was not allowing double championships anymore. However, White dismissed the speculation and said he would have no problem with it if a titleholder could defend the belt in both divisions.

Topuria revealed that it was not a feasible option for him, which is why he decided not to stagnate the division:

"I know I'm not going to cut weight right now, and I don't want to hold down an entire division. There are guys who are preparing every day, who are fighting, just like me, for their dreams... And keeping the title would be very selfish of me. Besides, I'm the world champion, whether I vacate the title or not. I don't need a belt to feel worthy."

Fans were impressed with Topuria's gesture and hailed him on the internet.

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Cain Velasquez receives a five-year prison sentence

Cain Velasquez was sentenced in Santa Clara County, California, on Monday after he pleaded no contest to attempted murder, felony assault, and other related charges. He received a downpour of support from MMA fighters and fans alike.

According to a tweet by Amy Larson, Judge Arthur Bolcanegra was "choked up" and had "tears in his eyes" while passing the sentence. He said he was giving Velasquez the highest possible sentence, one that his attorney labeled as "bittersweet."

The ex-UFC fighter received 5 years in prison, with 1,283 days credit for time served. MMA reporter Nolan King said in a tweet that it brings down Velasquez's time in prison from hereon to 542 days, which is around a year and a half.

On Feb. 28, 2022, the former two-time UFC heavyweight champion chased down a truck with three people, including Harry Goularte, who is facing felony child molestation charges after allegedly abusing Velasquez's four-year-old son. He fired a gun multiple times at the vehicle, injuring Goularte's stepfather, Paul Bender, in the arm.

In an interview with Kyle Kingsbury Podcast, before the sentence was passed, Velasquez confessed that he wasn't right to take the law into his own hands.