Tom Aspinall (15-3, 1 NC MMA, 8-1, 1 NC UFC) is still not medically authorized to return to training for an eventual rematch against Ciryl Gane (13-2, 1 NC MMA, 10-2, 1 NC UFC) for the UFC Heavyweight Championship. Aspinall, who was elevated to permanent UFC Heavyweight Champion in the wake of Jon Jones’ (28-1, 1 NC MMA, 22-1, 1 NC UFC) sudden retirement this past June, made his first defense of the strap in October during UFC 321.
The defense of the belt culminated in a most inauspicious fashion when in the first round, Tom Aspinall suffered an eye poke, compromising his sight. As a result of the eye poke, the fight was waved off at 4:35 into the opening stanza and ruled a no-contest.
Although Aspinall didn’t get the ending to the fight that he or his supporters had been hoping for in late October, the champion’s advantage meant that he’d be retaining the title going into 2026. As previously mentioned, a rematch between Aspinall and Gane for the former’s strap will be placed on the UFC’s schedule just as soon as the champ is cleared to return to competition.
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Tom Aspinall Meets Up With Tommy Fury for Gym Session
While Aspinall’s recovery from the eye poke continues, he recently vlogged on YouTube to bring viewers and subscribers along for a visit with heavyweight pugilist Tommy Fury. During the visit, Tom Aspinall gave his audience an update as to how far along he exactly is in relation to his recovery.
“My eye isn’t cleared to do anything other than sit down and push and pull stuff,” Aspinall mentioned. The video followed Aspinall on a drive to a gym where he met Fury and playfully reprimanded him for showing up late after Aspinall himself arrived late.
“We were supposed to be here at 10:00,” he said. “It’s 10:14. We were stressing out because we were late. No sign of Tommy. Walked in, it’s just a bloody tumbleweed going past. No sign of Tommy this morning.”
Upon Aspinall referring to Fury as “a diva” for his late arrival, cameras caught the latter showing up before the video cut to Aspinall doing some weight training.
Tom Aspinall Mentions He’d Like to Eventually Turn to Sweet Science of Boxing
This video also contained a revelation from the current king of the mountain at 265 lbs: Once his MMA career is complete, Tom Aspinall wants to try his luck in the world of boxing.
“I’d never be a world champ,” he said. “I wouldn’t try and be a world champion. You need to dedicate your whole life, don’t you, to be a world champion. I spend my whole life doing MMA now, [don’t] I? I’m nearly 33 now, so for me to be 33 and then think that I’m going to win a world title in boxing, it’s unrealistic.”
While Tom Aspinall does not have world heavyweight championship aspirations in boxing, he does have potential adversaries in mind for any potential fights inside the ring.
“I reckon [that] I could have a couple of, not freak show fights, but big fights, you know what I mean, against a big name,” he told Fury. “I wouldn’t mind boxing an MMA fighter, [like Francis] Ngannou. I think that’d be good.” Aspinall mentioned that any changeover to the world of boxing would not take place until after his UFC days are over.
Idea of Tom Aspinall Switching to Boxing Not Far-Fetched by Any Means
In this current era of crossover fights in boxing, the notion that Tom Aspinall could switch from MMA to pugilism at a later date is one that fans of the sport could welcome. Francis Ngannou switched to boxing in 2023 against Tyson Fury, only to see the fight go to the scorecards.
Ngannou suffered a split decision defeat at the hands of Fury. Due to Ngannou’s effort vs. Fury, the WBC ranked him No. 10 at heavyweight after the fight. Undeterred from the loss to Tyson Fury, he returned to square off versus Anthony Joshua that March, with the latter finishing the former inside the second round of a scheduled 10.
While Francis Ngannou was unsuccessful in both of his boxing conquests, Tom Aspinall, if given the right training and lead time, can be a brilliant pugilist. Aspinall is a household name in the UFC and should he make the transition to boxing, his is a name that could drive up pay-per-view buyrates in the future.
