UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has offered a candid update on his recovery following a serious eye injury suffered in his bout against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 last October in Abu Dhabi.
Speaking in an interview with Grace Neutral on FFTV, Aspinall revealed the frightening immediate aftermath of the incident, where he was poked in both eyes during the fight.
“So for the first day, I couldn't see anything. I thought I was blind,” Aspinall said. “I literally thought I was blind and it was awful.”
Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) explained that his vision gradually began to return, though complications persisted. “Then it just started to come back slowly and then I got stuck with like a black spot in my eye, where it was just black in my vision,” he said. “That’s what the last surgery was for…to try and sort that. That’s going less and less every day now which is great.”
Despite the positive progress, Aspinall acknowledged that his recovery will keep him out of full-contact training for an extended period. Doctors have advised him to avoid taking punches for approximately four months, a significant adjustment for a fighter accustomed to constant sparring.
“I just can't get punched for a while,” Aspinall said. “About four months without getting punched, which is quite a long time for me. It’s the longest I’ve not been punched for.”
He added that the forced break may ultimately be beneficial. “You’ve got to be careful, though. You don't want to be getting punched every day because then your brain's going to end up like mush. Yeah, I don’t want that.”
Aspinall’s timeline for return remains uncertain, but his comments suggest steady improvement and cautious optimism. For now, the heavyweight champion appears focused on recovery, with a gradual return to training expected once he is medically cleared for contact.
