Tom Aspinall has been reflecting on the lessons he has learned since his last fight.
What was supposed to be his crowning moment following his promotion to undisputed UFC heavyweight champion earlier in the year ended in controversy. Aspinall’s (15–3 MMA, 8–1 UFC) first title defense against Ciryl Gane (13–2 MMA, 10–2 UFC) at UFC 321 in October was declared a no contest after an eye poke from the Frenchman brought the bout to an abrupt halt.
Despite being the victim of the infringement, Aspinall appeared to bear the brunt of the backlash from fans, with many accusing the Brit of faking the injury.
“Well, people turn on you really quick, you know.?” Aspinall told Adam Caterall during an appearance on One-on-One MMA. “And you always hear it, don't you? Like, people start maybe getting jealous and wanting to drag you down when you get to the top. I never really experienced that, to be honest. But people will turn their back on you quick and give their opinions publicly, even if they're your friend.
“I've learned a lot. And I've learned that the people who care about me care about me. And there's a lot of other people that I thought that (did care about me) don't. And that's a great learning experience, mate. I'm nearly 33 years old and I'm learning some good stuff for the future of my life, which is great.”
Aspinall revealed earlier this week that he is set to undergo two bouts of surgery to correct the damage inflicted by ‘Bon Gamin’ and while he is eager to get back inside the Octagon, he insists he won’t be rushing the process.
“ I'm ready to get back but my health’s gotta be right first,” the champion said. “I am not going to do anything compromised. I'm not going to let my ego take over. Everything's got to be right. So when the time is right, however that looks, whenever that is, that's the plan.
“Obviously, the plan is to get back (and) beat the living daylights out of Ciryl Gane…that's the plan. But right now, the short-term plan is to get back to where I should be, get back in the gym.”
