Tom Aspinall has offered his most encouraging update yet on his recovery from an eye injury, raising hopes of a return to action later this year.
The British heavyweight has been sidelined since suffering eye-pokes during his first title defence against Ciryl Gane, with uncertainty surrounding both his recovery timeline and his next opponent.
“I’m just on route back from the eye hospital. I’ve had a scan and things are progressing f**king nicely, which I’m very happy about,” Aspinall said, according to his YouTube channel. “They’re saying pretty soon, things keep rolling in the right direction, I will be cleared for contact. I’m back in the gym. I am back training. No sparring just yet. But if things keep going the way they’re going, we are back.”
Aspinall also indicated that his return will depend on the outcome of an interim heavyweight title bout between Alex Pereira and Gane, which is expected to determine his next challenger.
“Everyone keeps asking when I’m going to fight,” Aspinall said, according to his YouTube channel. “The obvious answer is the other two guys, Alex [Pereira] and Ciryl [Gane] have to fight for the interim title. I’m obviously going to fight the winner. The UFC have told me that I’m fighting the winner.”
With the interim title fight scheduled to take place at the UFC White House event on June 14, the timeline for Aspinall’s return is likely to depend on both his continued recovery and the condition of the eventual winner.
“The goal is get fighting again. Get healthy, get fighting, and we are on the way to both. So, I’m very happy with that … I’m motivated and looking forward to getting back,” Aspinall added.
