Tom Aspinall Eye Injury Update
Tom Aspinall is currently recovering from serious damage to both eyes and is in the middle of a planned two‑stage surgery process after the brutal eye pokes from Ciryl Gane at UFC 321. The UFC heavyweight champion has been dealing with “bilateral traumatic Brown’s syndrome,” a rare condition affecting the muscles and tendons that control eye movement, which has left him with double vision, depth‑perception issues, and generally the kind of visual chaos no fighter ever wants to experience.
The injury stems from that controversial October title fight, where multiple eye pokes from Gane forced a no‑contest and left Aspinall unable to continue, even as some fans and commentators accused him of looking for a way out.
Medical reports posted publicly since then paint a very different picture: significant bilateral ocular trauma, Brown’s syndrome, orbital soft‑tissue damage, and even a small fracture in the right medial orbital wall. This is not the stuff anyone can just “tough out” with a deep breath and some ice. Aspinall has talked about struggling to see properly in day‑to‑day life, not just in sparring, and there is something quietly brutal about a heavyweight champion needing “ugly glasses” and specialist appointments instead of pads and sparring rounds.
To fix it, he has committed to double eye surgery, with one procedure already expected to be done by the time his latest video went live, and the second scheduled for mid‑January, essentially turning his winter into a medical training camp focused on vision instead of takedown defense. Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) reported on X that Tom Aspinall shared an update on his eye injury, revealing he has already undergone surgery on one side, with another procedure scheduled for mid-January as he works toward a return.
Doctors say recovery from this kind of eye surgery can take several months, so a full return to heavy sparring and a proper UFC training camp likely will not happen until sometime in the spring or later, depending on how quickly his vision stabilizes and whether complications pop up along the way. In the meantime, he has not been medically cleared for any combat sports activity, is staying out of the gym for hard MMA work, and is following specialist guidance while the promotion quietly figures out what to do with a heavyweight division whose champion literally cannot see punches coming right now.
Through all of this, Aspinall has been very clear about two things: first, that Gane’s eye pokes were “cheating” and that the way the fight ended still bothers him; second, that the only fight he wants when everything is finally healed is a rematch to settle things properly.
There is even early talk that the UFC might eventually introduce some kind of interim belt if his layoff stretches too long, but nothing official has been announced yet, and for most fans the priority is simple — get the champion’s eyes right, then worry about matchups later. For now, the Tom Aspinall eye injury update is a mix of hard reality and cautious optimism: double surgery, months of rehab, a rare and scary diagnosis, but also a clear plan, a motivated champion, and a simmering grudge match with Gane waiting on the other side once the world stops looking blurry.
Disclaimer
This Tom Aspinall eye injury update is based on recent public reports and athlete comments and is meant for general information only. Medical situations can change quickly, and only licensed professionals can give diagnosis or treatment advice. Always check official UFC announcements and trusted news sources for the latest status.
