Former UFC champion doesn’t believe Tom Aspinall should fight again

The biggest MMA story today is Tom Aspinall vacating his heavyweight title. The now-former champion will be out of competition indefinitely after complications and another setback from his eye injury suffered at UFC 321.

The injury came from a foul, where Ciryl Gane poked both of Aspinall’s eyes, leaving him unable to fight. 

Aspinall’s first eye procedure was in February, and everything seemed fine in June when he publicly said he’d like to rematch Gane after Gane won the interim heavyweight title. 

MORE: UFC power rankings following Fight Night 288 Noche in Glendale, AZ

Aspinall’s first undisputed title defense was close to a year ago, and now he’s chosen to vacate the title himself. Aspinall made it clear that there was no pressure from the UFC, and that he was even sparring for an upcoming fight when the injury recurred. 

Uncrowned’s Ariel Helwani reported that the fight date was, in fact, UFC 334 in New York City. Aspinall won the interim title at Madison Square Garden in 2023 and even defended it against Curtis Blaydes. 

With his return timeline completely unknown, one UFC great thinks Aspinall should hang up the gloves. 

Demetrious Johnson thinks Tom Aspinall shouldn’t fight again

Former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson spoke on Aspinall’s situation on Tuesday. On his “Mighty” YouTube channel, Johnson revealed that he sent his best wishes to Aspinall and then candidly gave his own opinion on the matter. Johnson’s quote is as follows. 

MORE: Tom Aspinall vacates UFC heavyweight title: who should fight Ciryl Gane next?

“I’ll be shocked if Tom Aspinall fights again, just because when it comes to fighting, when it comes to training, that eye is always going to be in compromised. Is he willing to take that risk? I wouldn’t take that risk. This is something that he’s going to be battling for the rest of his life, believe it or not.”

“Like, let’s say he’s fighting somebody, and somebody goes, ‘I’m going to target that motherf—ing eye,’ which they legally could do that. He could lose his eye.”

Frankly, Johnson is right; this injury could affect far more than Aspinall’s fighting career. That said, Aspinall is ultra-competitive; he loves to compete- it’s all he does. If the next procedure goes well and Aspinall gets the green light, he’s 100% going to compete.

In a perfect world, Aspinall gets back towards the summer and fights at International Fight Week. A return fight against Gane in a rematch would be massive. A fight with Alex Pereira would potentially be even bigger, given how big a star he is. 

— Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories with The Big Lead Newsletter —