Exciting UFC Heavyweight Champion Reveals He’s Back to Training
After months of waiting on the sidelines due to recovering from various surgeries, UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has finally returned to training. Tom Aspinall Finally Received UFC Heavyweight Championship, Tragedy Struck First Defense Fo...
After months of waiting on the sidelines due to recovering from various surgeries, UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has finally returned to training.
Tom Aspinall Finally Received UFC Heavyweight Championship, Tragedy Struck First Defense
Following a lengthy reign as interim king, which included one title retention against UFC heavyweight luminary Curtis Blaydes, Tom Aspinall had at last gotten his hands on undisputed gold last summer in the wake of Jon Jones’s sudden retirement. Almost immediately, the Englishman was swiftly booked for his first outing as the baddest man on the planet that October at UFC 321.
Putting his strap on the line, the 32-year old went up against fellow previous interim champion and French star Ciryl Gane. In the early stages of their bout, it was “Bon Gamin” that appeared to be getting the better of the incumbent, with Aspinall receiving several hard punches from Gane that left his nose visibly bleeding.
Tom Aspinall’s Road to Recovery Following UFC 321 Long, Arduous
While he did potentially have another four rounds to work with to mount a comeback, the fight was unceremoniously called off after Gane accidentally poked Tom Aspinall in both his eyes, leaving the UFC heavyweight phenom unable to see, and thus, unable to continue.
For the rest of 2025, and even into the new year, the European had undergone a multitude of corrective surgeries to fix his eyes. These appointments under the knife began to leave many wondering what his future in combat sports will look like by the time the UFC heavyweight champion heals and how he will perform once, or if he, returns to the Octagon.
Tom Aspinall Shared Training Footage, Back to Work
Fortunately, the 265-lb apex looks to be back in the gym, as the UFC heavyweight champion posted a short video on his Instagram of him training, in which he is performing bag work, as well as some conditioning exercises. At the moment, the extent of his recovery from his eye injury remains unknown, but it seems as though Tom Aspinall is in high spirits after a long lay off, stating in the video how he is coming for it all.
Although he has no bout officially booked at this time, his next opponent will already have been decided by the time he is fully healed. This June, at the UFC’s upcoming blockbuster White House event, UFC Freedom Fights 250, the interim heavyweight belt will be on the line when former light heavyweight ruler Alex Pereira moves up a division to lock horns with Gane in the co-main event.
Coming off of a stellar performance over Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320, the Brazilian is looking to shake up the 265-lb weight class after a formerly dominant reign at 205-lb. For Gane, a victory at the White House will guarantee him a rematch with Aspinall sometime later in 2026, a rematch that Aspinall may just be looking forward to himself.
