No more Mr. Nice Tom.
More than seven weeks removed from the controversial ending to UFC 321, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is still dealing with the aftermath of a brutal eye poke suffered during his main event clash with Ciryl Gane in Abu Dhabi — and the champion’s patience has officially run out.
The accidental-but-devastating eye gouge halted the fight and left Aspinall with lingering vision issues that have yet to fully heal. According to the champion,
the injury is serious enough that surgery is required, forcing him to the sidelines with what he described as “a long road ahead” before he can return to action.
While Aspinall continues his recovery, Gane recently took to social media to post training footage and photos, noting that he currently has no fight date or opponent as he prepares through the holiday season.
“Still no date or opponent yet… but we keep grinding and training hard before the holidays,” Gane wrote.
That post drew an immediate and fiery response from Aspinall, who unloaded on the former interim champion in the comments section.
“No shit there’s not a date yet,” Aspinall wrote. “I’m not medically cleared to fight and about to have surgery thanks to your disgusting fingernails. I’ll be back to smash your face in soon, you cheat.”
The outburst marked a noticeable shift in tone for Aspinall, who had largely avoided escalating the situation publicly beyond a few pointed remarks in the weeks following the bout, so his frustration is understandable.
Earlier this month, Aspinall hinted that fans would be seeing a different version of him moving forward.
“When I come back, there is no more Mr. Nice Guy,” Aspinall said. “Nice Tom, when it comes to MMA, is gone. I’m going full bad guy.”
With Aspinall sidelined and Gane left waiting, the timeline for a rematch remains unclear. But if the champion’s latest comments are any indication, the animosity between the two Heavyweights has reached a boiling point — setting the stage for an explosive showdown once Aspinall is finally cleared to return.
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