Even after double-eye surgery to try and fix his vision, a new report reveals Tom Aspinall’s return to the UFC is far from a guarantee.
MMA fans would universally agree that Aspinall’s 10-fight run in the UFC has been very impressive. But it has also included major injury setbacks. After debuting in the promotion in 2020, the Brit went from being a talented prospect to one of the best heavyweight fighters on the planet.
He eventually reached the MMA mountain top in 2023 when he defeated fearsome Russian contender Sergei Pavlovich for the interim title. Aspinall’s rise to being a champion included a 2022 ACL tear that derailed his rise to the top.
That is why many thought he would be able to bounce back from the eye injury he suffered in his October title defense against Ciryl Gane that ended in a no-contest. However, in the months since he was badly poked in both eyes by the Frenchman in the opening round, Tom Aspinall continues to struggle with his vision and can’t train for a rematch.
In a report from Yahoo’s Petesy Carroll on Friday, new details were revealed on the Englisman’s vision issues, and it’s pretty bad.
New details emerge on Tom Aspinall’s vision struggles
“Nearly four months later, the champ still can’t track moving targets. His eyes hurt if he sends too many text messages. He gets vertigo if he changes directions suddenly, he misses people’s hands when he tries to shake them, he can no longer do the thing that’s given him an identity since he was a child,” Carroll wrote.
“Hell, he struggles to do the most basic drills. Sometimes, he struggles to play with his kids. He has to ask people to drive him to most places he goes and ask those same people to bring him home afterward.”
Aspinall has also dealt with a “black spot” in his vision that has remained since the double eye poke in October.
Earlier this week, Aspinall revealed that after waiting several months for his body to try to heal naturally, he underwent surgery on both eyes. The hope is that the procedures will end the vision problems and get him one big step closer to fighting.
Tom Aspinall record: 15-3
However, Carroll — who followed the heavyweight before the surgery — admits, this could be the first of more procedures to inch Aspinall back to normal vision.
“The hope in the room is that this double surgery will bring about a breakthrough, but there is a reality where this is just a surgery to set up another surgery down the line,” Carroll reports. “[This] operation will focus on recovering his forward vision, what he sees when he is looking straight ahead.
“There is a belief that this will somehow stimulate his peripheral vision into action as well. If it doesn’t, he’ll be back in the operating room all over again. Due to the complexity of the equipment, in this case, his eyeballs, nothing is guaranteed.”
