Tom Aspinall has provided a positive update on his return to competition, saying he should be “cleared for contact” soon.
Aspinall last fought in October, when his first defence of the UFC heavyweight title ended prematurely, as he suffered multiple eye pokes from Ciryl Gane.
Those fouls forced a no-contest and led Aspinall to undergo double eye surgery, while Gane will fight Alex Pereira for the interim title in June – at an unprecedented event at the White House.
It has been expected that Aspinall, 33, will fight the winner of that bout depending on his health, and the Briton seems confident.
“We are just en route back from the eye hospital, where today I’ve had a scan, and things are progressing f***ing nicely, which I’m very happy about,” Aspinall said on his YouTube channel.
“They’re saying, pretty soon – if things keep moving in the right direction – I will be cleared for contact. I am back in the gym, I am back training, [but] not sparring just yet. But if things keep going the way they’re going, we are back.
“Everyone keeps asking when I’m going to fight. The obvious answer is the other two guys, Alex and Ciryl, have to fight for the interim title. I’m obviously going to fight the winner. The UFC has told me that I’m fighting the winner.
“First and foremost, I should get my health right, which is on the right track […] I have to wait for that to be done, and we fight the winner. Simple as that.
“No specific month. I’m waiting to get clearance, which is going to be coming soon, they’ve just told me. And any specific month depends on the UFC. Those two have got to fight each other. Let them do the thing first, recover from that, and then when everybody’s ready, we’ll do it.”
Aspinall’s overall record stands at 15-3 (1 no-contest), while his UFC record is 8-1 (1 no-contest) – with his only loss coming via injury in 2022, a defeat he avenged by knocking out Curtis Blaydes in 2024. Furthermore, all of Aspinall’s wins have come via stoppage, 14 in round one and the other in round two.
A clash with Pereira or a rematch with Gane would be highly anticipated. Pereira is a former middleweight champion and two-time light-heavyweight champion, while Gane is a former interim heavyweight champion.
