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Tom Aspinall of the UFC
UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall provided an update on his return to the Octagon after suffering an eye injury last October.
Aspinall has not fought since UFC 321 on October 25, 2025. In his first official heavyweight title defense, Aspinall suffered an eye injury when Gane poked him in the eye, and the fight was ruled a No Contest. The Englishman was forced to have eye surgery after the bout, and he has not stepped back into the cage since.
With Aspinall out, the UFC has booked an interim heavyweight title bout between Ciryl Gane and Alex Pereira in the co-main event of UFC Freedom 250 in June at the White House. However, it appears the champ is on the mend and will finally be coming back to a cage near you soon.
Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, Aspinall provided his fans with an update on his return to the Octagon.
“I’m just en route back from the eye hospital where today I’ve just had a scan, and things are progressing (expletive) nicely, which I’m very happy about. They’re saying pretty soon, if things keep moving in the right direction, I will be cleared for contact. I am back in the gym, I am back training. No sparring just yet. But if things keep on going the way they’re going, we are back,” Aspinall said.
“Everyone keeps asking when I’m going to fight. The obvious answer is that the other two guys, Alex and Ciryl, have to fight for the interim title. I’m obviously going to fight the winner. The UFC have told me that I’m going to fight the winner. First and foremost, I have to get my health right, which is on the right track,” continued the champ.
“No specific month (for returning). I’m waiting to get clearance, which is going to be coming soon, they just told me. Any specific month depends on the UFC. Those other two are going to fight each other. Let them do their thing first, recover from that, and then when everybody’s ready, we’re going to do it.”
🚨 Tom Aspinall says his eye is healing well and he’ll be cleared for contact training soon
He says his return fight will be against the winner of Alex Pereira vs Ciryl Gane 👀
“Those two gotta fight each other. Let them do their thing first, recover from that, and when
Since Aspinall’s last fight, there have been several other new heavyweight title contenders that have emerged during his time away.
Josh Hokit, who beat Curtis Blaydes at UFC 327 in a “Fight of the Year” candidate, jumped into the top five of the heavyweight division after previously being an unranked fighter. He fights Derrick Lewis at UFC Freedom 250, and if he wins that fight, he would likely be right in line for a title shot.
Another rising star is Waldo Cortes-Acosta, who has won three fights in a row by knockout since Aspinall last stepped foot into the cage. He takes on Alexander Volkov at UFC 328 next weekend, and a win there would put him in the heavyweight division’s elite.
Elsewhere, Brandon Pericic just beat the top-15-ranked Shamil Gaziev at UFC Perth to emerge as a new ranked fighter. Another newly-ranked top-15 heavyweight is Tyrell Fortune, who took out veteran Marcin Tybura in his promotional debut at UFC Seattle. Plus, there are plenty of new heavyweights on the rise.
Aspinall is still the sport’s premier heavyweight until further notice, but after being out so long, the gap has begun to close a bit on him as the division has been getting stronger.
Adam Martin Adam Martin is a sports journalist with over 15 years of experience. He has a speciality in MMA, while also covering the Big 4 Sports. Adam is currently a contributor to Heavy.com, with previous experience working for The Toronto Star, Sportsnet, theScore, Bookies, BJPenn.com, and MMAOddsbreaker.com. More about Adam Martin
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