The heavyweight division appeared set to enter a new era following the retirement of Jon Jones and the promotion of Tom Aspinall to undisputed champion. But what was meant to be Aspinall’s triumphant return after a 14-month layoff instead ended in controversy at UFC 321. Headlining the card in Abu Dhabi, Aspinall was scheduled to defend his heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane. However, the bout came to a sudden and shocking halt late in the opening round.
At the 4:35 mark of Round 1, an accidental double eye poke from Gane left the champion unable to see, forcing referee Jason Herzog to step in and wave off the fight as a no-contest. Despite being given nearly four minutes to recover and undergoing examinations from two cageside doctors, Aspinall made it clear that his vision was compromised and he could not continue. As a result, the fight was officially ruled a no-contest, with the Englishman retaining his title in unfortunate fashion.
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The aftermath raised further concern as Aspinall was later diagnosed with bilateral traumatic Brown’s syndrome and has since undergone double eye surgery, leaving the timeline for his return uncertain. Aspinall has returned to light training and sparring while also securing a new management deal with Eddie Hearn, but there remains no clear timeline for his return to the Octagon.
The prolonged uncertainty has frustrated former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping, who recently questioned the lack of transparency surrounding his fellow Brit’s situation. Speaking on a recent episode of the Believe You Me podcast alongside fellow UFC veteran Paul Felder, Bisping suggested that the situation does not entirely add up. While choosing his words carefully, ‘The Count’ admitted that the limited information coming from Aspinall’s camp has raised eyebrows.
Bisping said, “I’ve got to choose my words carefully here, but he’s just said, ‘I’m still not clear to fight. But he’s been very vague with the details. If I wasn’t cleared, because he’s got a YouTube channel, he posts content all the time, you’d talk about it, the procedures that he had, the operations, whatever.”
The former champion then compared Aspinall’s situation to his own eye injury. Bisping infamously lost vision in his right eye after absorbing a devastating head kick from Vitor Belfort, who was competing during the TRT era before the treatment was later banned in the sport. Despite undergoing a serious procedure and facing a lengthy recovery, Bisping managed to return to competition relatively quickly.
Bisping added, “I had a surgery, it was a very serious surgery called a scleral buckle, it’s gross what they do to the eyeball. I don’t know what he had, but he hasn’t talked about that… I had that surgery, recovered, came back, and had a fight in a shorter amount of time than it’s taken this whole eye poke saga.”
He then went a step further, hinting that there may be more to the situation than has been publicly disclosed. He concluded with, “I know Tom. We used to have a close relationship, [but] we don’t talk these days. He’s a great guy. But maybe, you look between the lines, there’s something fucking weird going on. That’s what it looks like. That’s what it sounds like.”
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Bisping’s comments are particularly notable given the close relationship the pair once shared. Their camaraderie was frequently highlighted in UFC Embedded episodes and other MMA content, but that connection appears to have faded in recent years. Meanwhile, the UFC has opted to move forward with its heavyweight division in Aspinall’s absence. Alex Pereira is scheduled to face Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14, with the winner widely expected to meet Aspinall in a title unification bout once the Brit is cleared to compete.
Adding another layer of intrigue is Aspinall’s increasingly complicated relationship with the UFC. The heavyweight champion recently enlisted boxing promoter Eddie Hearn as his manager, a move that drew significant attention given Hearn’s long-running disagreements with UFC CEO Dana White.
Hearn has already made it clear that he believes Aspinall is underpaid relative to his value and has stated that he would not be comfortable allowing the champion to continue fighting under the terms of his current deal. The Matchroom Boxing chairman has even floated the idea of Aspinall eventually leaving the promotion altogether. With questions surrounding his health, contract situation, and future in the division, speculation continues to grow. For now, however, fans are still waiting for a definitive update from Aspinall regarding when he will finally be ready to return to action.
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