UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall will return from his eye injury as the most dangerous version of himself, according to training partner Modestas Bukauskas, despite ongoing uncertainty surrounding the champion’s recovery timeline.
Aspinall sustained the injury during his first undisputed title defence against Ciryl Gane in October, when an accidental eye poke forced the contest to be ruled a no-contest and left the 32-year-old with persistent double vision that has required medical intervention.
“When he comes back expect to see the most dangerous Tom Aspinall you’ve ever seen,” said Bukauskas, according to BBC Sport. “He’s an incredible athlete, an incredible person and this is only going to make him that much sharper and better. Heavyweight division, watch out.”
Bukauskas, who recently competed at UFC 324 where he was defeated by late TKO by Nikita Krylov, said the injury prevented the two from training together in the build-up to his most recent bout and described Aspinall’s situation as difficult to watch from close quarters. “Tom’s dealing with that really horrible eye injury. I feel really bad for him because he’s looking at potentially getting surgery and his eyes still aren’t 100%,” he said.
The Lithuanian-Briton added that he has remained in contact with the champion throughout the recovery process. “I’ve been keeping tabs, sending messages here and there to [check] how he’s doing,” he added.
Aspinall entered the bout with Gane as undisputed champion after being elevated from interim titleholder following the retirement of Jon Jones, but questions about his future have emerged in the aftermath of the injury, with Joe Rogan among those to publicly wonder whether the Briton will fight again.
Speaking after the bout, UFC president Dana White initially suggested the decision to stop the contest rested with Aspinall, comments he later clarified. “Only Tom knows what happened” and he “didn’t want to continue,” White said at the time, before later stating the remarks had been taken out of context.
White offered little clarity when asked for an update following UFC 324. “Don’t let me talk about Tom Aspinall’s eye,” he said. “Apparently he’s going in for a second surgery, or he’s just had it. And by surgery, I mean injections. I have no idea.”
Aspinall responded the following day on his YouTube channel, expressing frustration at the commentary. “I didn’t even fight last night. I’m catching strays in my living room on a Sunday morning,” he said.
While White has indicated interest in booking a rematch between Aspinall and Gane, it remains unclear when the heavyweight champion will be cleared to compete as he continues to recover from the injury.
