Tom Aspinall undergoes eye surgery but another awaits before possible UFC comeback

Tom Aspinall has revealed that he has undergone surgery on the eye injury he suffered in his ill-fated heavyweight title defence against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321, but still has obstacles to overcome before a possible return to the cage.

Gane accidentally poked the Briton in both eyes towards the end of the first round of their bout in Abu Dhabi on 25 October, with replays supporting his post-fight complaint that the Frenchman’s finger had gone “knuckle-deep” into his eye.

The 32-year-old champion, making his long-awaited first defence as undisputed champion, could not continue and the fight was waved off as a no-contest before the first round could end.

Aspinall issued his first substantial update on the status of the injury at the beginning of December, posting a medical report on his Instagram account that shows he has been diagnosed with “significant bilateral Brown’s syndrome” - a rare condition where the eye cannot move upwards, particularly when looking inward.

He has now provided a further update, revealing that he has had surgery on one of his eyes, while his next surgery is scheduled in the new year.

Aspinall said on his YouTube channel: "I've had surgery on one side already, next surgery is coming mid-January. We're working towards getting back."

He previously confirmed that he had not been doing “anything MMA-wise at the moment” and that he was “following the doctor's orders right now and seeing what happens with the health”.

Aspinall also reiterated his desire to run it back with Gane after their first bout ended in a deflating no-contest.

Gane escaped disqualification for the eye-poke in UFC 321’s main event after referee Jason Herzog deemed it accidental rather than intentional.

At the post-event press conference, Dana White insinuated that Aspinall “didn’t want” to keep fighting, leading the Briton to express disappointment in the UFC president’s comments.

White has since clarified: “I’m no doctor, I’m just saying what I’ve heard. I wasn’t saying anything negative towards him. I think the thing’s going to be taken out of context, or he didn’t see what I said, because I don’t even know what the f*** I said. But never once did I say anything negative about him or in a derogatory way.”