Tom Aspinall has nearly recovered from his eye issues.
In October, Aspinall made the first defense of his undisputed heavyweight title in a disastrous bout at UFC 321 against Ciryl Gane. After suffering an eye poke near the end of the first round, Aspinall was unable to continue, resulting in a no-contest. Since then, the heavyweight champion has dealt with a myriad of eye issues, rendering him unable to compete, but his long journey back to health is nearly complete.
“We are just on route back from
the eye hospital, where today, I’ve had a scan, and things are progressing f*cking nicely, which I’m very happy about,” Aspinall said in a YouTube video on Sunday. “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, [but] not sparring just yet. But if things keep going the way they’re going, we are back.
Given the lack of a definitive timeline for his return, the UFC opted to create an interim heavyweight title during Aspinall’s absence, which will be fought for by Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane in the co-main event of UFC White House. And given his recent good news, Aspinall expects to face the winner of that fight for his return.
“Everyone keeps asking when I’m going to fight,” Aspinall said. “The obvious answer is the other two guys, Alex and Ciryl, have to fight for the interim title. I’m obviously going to fight the winner. The UFC has told me that I’m fighting the winner. So, first and foremost, I should get my health right, which is on the right track. … I have to wait for that to be done, and we fight the winner. Simple as that. …
“No specific month. I’m waiting to get clearance, which is going to be coming soon, they’ve just told me. And any specific month depends on the UFC. Those two have got to fight each other. Let them do the thing first. Recover from that, and then, when everybody’s ready, we’ll do it.”
And should he make a successful return, Aspinall will have no shortage of new opponents to face. During his absence, the UFC’s heavyweight division has seen an influx of new talent like Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Josh Hokit surge to the top of the rankings. And once he’s back, Aspinall is ready to fight all of them.
“I’m excited about it all,” Aspinall said. “I think that I’m not going to start avoiding people now. I’ve always took any fight that I’ve been offered. So, I think it’s exciting. If big names that people are excited about in the division, that’s a good thing. …
“I’ll fight all of them. I’m happy to fight all of them. Anyone who deserves a shot, I’ll fight them.”
