‘Completely replaceable’ – Tom Aspinall ‘not thinking about fighting’ as surgery sparks honest reflection from UFC champion

Tom Aspinall has admitted he has far bigger concerns than worrying about when he will return to the UFC.

The UFC heavyweight champion had double-eye surgery this week, exactly 108 days since his first undisputed title defence against Ciryl Gane ended in a no-contest.

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Aspinall was brutally poked in both eyes by the Frenchman during the first round of the contest at UFC 321, leaving him unable to continue.

He was later diagnosed with bilateral traumatic Brown’s syndrome and has been struggling to manage day-to-day life since.

After a whopping 18 medical appointments, Aspinall’s eyes had healed naturally enough for him to safely undergo surgery at Optegra Eye Hospital in Manchester.

Tom Aspinall: I hate the business side of fighting

On the day of surgery, Uncrowned’s Petesy Carroll spent the full day with the Englishman, who admitted the experience has him feeling a little uneasy about the fight game.

“I love martial arts,” Aspinall said.

“I absolutely love it. I’ll never stop loving it, but I just hate the business.

“I think that fighters are just completely replaceable and the business will make you feel like that any chance it gets.

“Even if you get hit with an illegal move, which could affect the rest of your life, they don’t really give a s***, and no one else does either.”

Speaking on a potential comeback, the 32-year-old added: “I’m not even thinking about fighting at the minute.

“All I’m thinking about is getting my health right, so thinking about a return date is pointless until that happens.”

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A long road ahead

It’s unsurprising to hear such an honest reflection from Aspinall.

After all, his boss, UFC CEO Dana White, claimed the champion had suffered ‘no damage to the eye’ when speaking about the fight weeks later — comments that left Aspinall ‘very disappointed.’

He also faced heavy scrutiny from some fans online, with critics somehow accusing him of ‘milking’ the entire situation.

But Aspinall has been a fighter since birth, and his latest revelations show just how difficult life has been as he balances life with three children alongside an attempt to get back to full training.

The successful procedure carried out by Dr Shafiq Rehman now requires the UFC heavyweight champion to have 32 eye drops a day.

Training also has its own unique challenges, with Aspinall’s boxing coach, former WBA light heavyweight champion Stipe Drews, admitting the situation is a ‘big problem.’

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Aspinall said even the most basic pad work left him ‘really dizzy’, describing the feeling like ‘standing on a boat.’

False reports this week suggested that Aspinall has been asked to vacate his heavyweight title.

Although with Aspinall’s return date currently unknown, the UFC brass may opt to put on an interim title fight at heavyweight — just like they did for Justin Gaethje vs Paddy Pimblett when Ilia Topuria was out of the picture.

Gane would no doubt be the frontrunner to get a shot as one-half of an interim title fight.

UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira is a potential opponent, as the Brazilian has expressed his desire to move up a division to try and get a fight with Jon Jones.