Following months of rumours and speculation, British UFC fighter Tom Aspinall has at last relinquished his UFC Heavyweight Championship. The choice was made following a troubling injury he sustained in his bout with Ciryl Gane at UFC 321. The injury has proven more severe than anticipated, leading Aspinall to vacate the UFC heavyweight title.

UFC boss Dana White had previously suggested stripping Aspinall of the Heavyweight Championship when asked about his return timeline. His decision to vacate the title has now brought an end to the long-running argument about Aspinall's next title defense. The original plan for Aspinall was to have him return at UFC 334 in a rematch against Ciryl Gane. However, re-injured his eye during training.

However, UFC legend Demetrious Johnson has now raised serious questions regarding Aspinall's return, as well as future injury risk and loss of vision. “I sent Tom Aspinall a message today and I said, ‘Dude, I’m sending good vibes, I’m hoping your eye gets healed,'” Johnson said on his YouTube channel.

“We don’t know if we’ll ever see Tom Aspinall again inside the UFC Octagon. Deep down in my gut, I would say no (he won’t come back). I wouldn’t risk the opportunity of me losing my vision and not being able to see my children, I would be shocked if Tom Aspinall fights again.

Article Continues Below

“Just because when it comes to fighting and training, that eye is always gonna be compromised. Is he willing to take that risk? I wouldn’t take that risk, this is something he’s gonna be battling for the rest of his life, believe it or not… He could potentially lose his eye… His eye is now a compromised target,” Johnson added.

Despite the concerns flowing in from all around the world, Aspinall has not yet officially addressed or spoken up about his UFC return chances. As of now, he is more focused on improving his eye health.