UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall remains sidelined, and the update his manager delivered this week is worse than most fans expected.
Despite recent rumors of a promotion exit being publicly shut down, Aspinall’s return to the Octagon keeps getting delayed. Amid this, fans are finally getting a clear picture of what his recovery looks like behind the scenes.
Promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed that Aspinall has undergone four eye surgeries since suffering a severe injury last October. While sharing this update, he also took a direct shot at the UFC’s restrictive business model.
Eddie Hearn Details Tom Aspinall’s Four Eye Surgeries and Return Timeline
His severe injury happened back at UFC 321 in October last year. According to medical reports, he is suffering from severe bilateral ocular trauma and Brown’s syndrome after receiving a double eye-poke from Ciryl Gane. It is a rare condition that stops the eye from moving normally.
It ended in a no-contest, and Aspinall has dealt with double vision, trouble tracking fast objects, and a black spot in his vision ever since. In July, he shared that he had undergone three surgeries — one on the left eye and two on the right.
But while speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Hearn said Aspinall has now undergone four surgeries, which shows just how bad the damage really was.
“You know, I know that he’s had four operations now,” Hearn explained. “And, like, it’s still an ongoing issue. And it can’t be nice going into a sport like that with an issue like that. But he’s a tough man. And he’s desperate to come back.”
Eddie Hearn on whether Tom Aspinall will fight in 2026:
“I’d like to say true. The problem isn’t really how he feels, it’s whether he’s medically ready to fight and what the commission or the medicals would say.
He’s training, he’s ready, he’s eager to come back. But you can’t… pic.twitter.com/8TUSHCCaCs
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) September 2, 2026
Hearn made it clear that it does not matter how good Aspinall feels in the gym; he cannot fight without the athletic commission’s approval. Rushing back too soon is simply not worth the risk.
“He’s training, he’s ready, he’s eager to come back,” Hearn said. “But with that kind of injury, you can’t afford to make a poor decision and come back too early, because it cannot just cost you your health. It can cost you your eyesight.”
The update about a fourth surgery is unexpected because the “Honey Badger” repeatedly claimed he was ready. After Gane won the interim heavyweight title by stopping Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250, Aspinall accepted the callout for a September fight in Paris. At the time, everyone assumed the champion was nearing the end of his recovery.
Hearn’s update completely changes the scenario. While Dana White recently claimed that the UFC will book Aspinall as soon as he is ready, White never mentioned any fourth operation. It remains to be seen how this news impacts his return timeline.
Eddie Hearn Slams UFC’s Monopoly Model Amid Tom Aspinall’s Forced Inactivity
Hearn did not stop with the medical update. He highlighted Aspinall’s situation to criticize the UFC’s business model, comparing it to boxing. He brought up middleweight Paulo Costa, who has one fight left on his contract and is currently stuck in difficult negotiations with the promotion.
Hearn explained that boxers make more money because they have multiple promotions competing for them. “TKO and the UFC don’t want that,” Hearn said. “They don’t want fighters to have options. They want to be the only shop in town and the only chance you have to have a career.”
White is waiting to welcome Aspinall, but that decision is up to the doctors and the athletic commission, not the UFC. Until that clearance comes, the heavyweight division remains stuck in the same place and chatter in the community only grows.
PHOTO CREDIT: IMAGO / Inpho Photography
