Tom Aspinall took to YouTube recently and provided an update on his recovery from an eye poke last fall.<\/p>\n
Tom Aspinall <\/a>(15-3, 1 NC MMA 8-1, 1 NC UFC,) hasn’t been in action for a little over six months. In the wake of Jon Jones abruptly retiring from MMA last summer, UFC CEO Dana White named Aspinall, who won the UFC Interim Heavyweight Championship in the summer of 2024 in exactly 60 seconds’ time versus Curtis Blaydes (19-6, 1 NC MMA, 14-6, 1 NC UFC,) was elevated to permanent champion.<\/p>\n For his first defense as heavyweight champion, Aspinall trekked to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates for UFC 321 in late October. No. 1 contender Ciryl Gane <\/a>(13-2, 1 NC MMA, 10-2, 1 NC UFC) served as his adversary on the final Saturday night of October.\u00a0<\/p>\n The fight was scheduled for five rounds at five minutes per round in the UFC 321 main event of the evening. Everything came unglued toward the end of the first round, however.<\/p>\n Devastating Eye Poke Spells End to UFC 321 Main Event, Tom Aspinall on Shelf<\/p>\n With 25 seconds remaining on the first-round clock, Tom Aspinall sustained an eye poke. In accordance with protocol, the champion was afforded a five-minute medical timeout to try and recover. The five minutes elapsed with Aspinall still unable to see after the eye poke. ‘<\/p>\n Referee Jason Herzog put a stop to the contest, ruling the main event a no-contest. Because Aspinall did not lose the fight, he remains the UFC Heavyweight Champion going into his next fight. Due to his hiatus from competition, the UFC ordered an interim heavyweight championship for June 14 during UFC Freedom 250<\/a> on The White House grounds in Washington, DC.\u00a0<\/p>\n Gane will return to action against former UFC Middleweight and Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira (13-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) in the co-main event of a rare Sunday night event from the No. 1 MMA promotion in the world in about a month.<\/p>\n Tom Aspinall Takes to YouTube to Discuss Recovery and Return<\/p>\n