A return to full fight training could be right around the corner for heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, as indicated in a positive update while recovering from his recent surgery.
Aspinall has been out of the octagon since last October when he found himself on the receiving end of multiple illegal eye pokes courtesy of Ciryl Gane. The inadvertent, yet damaging, illegal strikes from Gane resulted in the UFC 321 main event match being declared a no contest, sidelining Aspinall and putting the top of the heavyweight division in limbo. This was to be the Englishman’s first test as the new heavyweight champion, after spending a prolonged time with interim status until the retirement of former titleholder Jon Jones.
While Aspinall has not yet been cleared for contact training and sparring, he has been back in the gym and staying in fighting shape. If everything continues on the current trajectory, doctors have told him that he will be fully cleared ‘soon’, with no additional timeline being explained. Through the tribulations surrounding this injury, this has been by far the most positive update from Aspinall’s team, who were at one point concerned that he would never fight again given the circumstances.
“We are just on route back from the eye hospital, where today, I’ve had a scan, and things are progressing nicely, which I’m very happy about,” Aspinall said. “They’re saying, pretty soon, if things keep moving in the right direction, I will be cleared for contact. I am back in the gym, I am back training, [but] not sparring just yet. But if things keep going the way they’re going, we are back.”
“No specific month,” Aspinall said. I’m waiting to get clearance, which is going to be coming soon, they’ve just told me. And any specific month depends on the UFC. Those two have got to fight each other. Let them do the thing first. Recover from that, and then, when everybody’s ready, we’ll do it.”
(h/t BJPenn.com)