"UFC heavyweight champion" Tom Aspinall (32·Britain) has finally gone under the knife. He plans to have another surgery in mid-Jan.
U.S. Fox Sports reported on the 30th (KST) that "Aspinall provided a shocking update on his eye injury. He said he will undergo multiple eye surgeries and sent a threatening message toward the 'perpetrator' Ciryl Gane."
Aspinall fought challenger Gane in the UFC 321 main event for the heavyweight championship at Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, at the end of Oct. But the bout ended as a no contest after just 4 minutes 35 seconds.
The reason was Gane's eye poke. In the middle of the first round, Gane extended his arm and poked both of Aspinall's eyes. Aspinall complained of severe pain and stopped the fight, and the referee allowed about a five-minute recovery period. Still, Aspinall could not open his eyes properly, and the referee declared the bout a no contest rather than disqualifying Gane for a foul.
It was the first time a UFC title fight was halted because of an unintentional foul. Aspinall, who said he could not continue, was rushed to a hospital and examined. Fortunately, initial tests showed no major dangerous damage, and medical staff expected it would not lead to long-term harm.
Afterward, Aspinall faced considerable criticism and ridicule because he stopped the fight citing an eye injury after being beaten early by Gane. Some fans claimed he used the eye injury as an excuse to escape a fight he was losing. Former UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones also mocked him by changing his social media profile picture to a duck wearing an eye patch and posting images of himself on a horse with his eyes covered by a patch.
But Aspinall has continued to say his eyes are not normal. Immediately after returning to Britain, his father and coach, Andy Aspinall, said Aspinall could see nothing with his right eye and his vision was just gray. His left-eye vision was only about 50 percent.
Aspinall later released detailed examination results saying he was diagnosed with "bilateral traumatic Brown syndrome." Although it is a condition many fighters have, it is an injury that affects the muscles that control eye movement. There is a risk of double vision, and looking upward also becomes difficult.
Aspinall also said his binocular coordination was reduced and his eye movements were restricted. Ultimately, he underwent surgery, and it appears he has already had one operation.
On the 29th, Aspinall said on his YouTube channel that "by the time this video comes out I will probably have already had surgery on one eye. The next surgery is scheduled for mid-Jan. So we are working to get back. That's the plan," sharing his recent condition.
A considerable amount of time is expected before the rematch between Aspinall and Gane, which Dana White, the UFC president, had predicted, can take place. MMA Fighting noted that "it may take months to recover after surgery. Aspinall is expected to return to full training around next spring. But he is just waiting to give Gane what he received."
In fact, Aspinall is sharpening his teeth to get revenge on Gane. Earlier this month he said, "No date (for the rematch) has been set yet. Because of Gane's disgusting fingernail I am medically unable to fight, and I will have surgery soon. I'll come back and smash the face of the 'cheater' Gane," and declared, "I am very passionate and want to come back and beat him. But I have to be 100% okay. I'll fight when my eyes can see well."
[Photo] Give Me Sport, Aspinall, UFC.
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