Tom Aspinall continues to receive medical treatment following the controversial fouls that marred his last fight.
Aspinall put his heavyweight title on the line against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 in October, but the bout ended in a no contest after a contentious exchange in the very first round. Gane extended his hand, and two fingers struck Aspinall in the eyes, forcing an abrupt halt to what was meant to be the champion’s first undisputed title defense.
The Brit was granted time to recover as the action was halted, but his vision had deteriorated to the point where he was unable to continue, forcing the fight to be stopped. It was revealed in a subsequent medical evaluation that Aspinall had been diagnosed with significant traumatic bilateral Brown’s syndrome and was experiencing persistent double vision following the fight.
Tom Aspinall’s Medical Team Shares Promising Update On His Vision Recovery
On Tuesday, the medical team at UK-based eye hospital Optegra shared a social media update on Tom Aspinall’s vision recovery. The doctors revealed that the reigning UFC heavyweight champion successfully underwent surgery on both eyes and is expected to return to fighting fitness following further treatment.
After his highly publicized eye poke injury, Optegra’s expert team is proud to have supported MMA fighter and UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. Over recent months, we’ve been working closely with him on his recovery. Following his operation on both eyes we continue the journey to get Tom’s vision back to fighting fitness,” the Instagram post read.
Aspinall’s unfortunate injury has ruled him out of active competition for an undetermined period, as he cannot return until he is medically cleared. Before this setback, the 32-year-old Englishman had already spent more than a year on the sidelines awaiting his next fight, hopeful of securing a title unification clash with Jon Jones in 2025.
However, “Bones” chose to retire and relinquish the title, a decision that crowned Aspinall as the undisputed champion.
UFC CEO Dana White has indicated that the heavyweight title showdown between Aspinall and Gane will be rescheduled for a later date, once the defending champion has fully recovered from his eye injury.
Aspinall currently owns an 8-1 record with one no contest in the UFC, highlighted by first-round knockout victories over Curtis Blaydes and Sergei Pavlovich. He holds a professional record of 15-3.
