It's very interesting how reactions to Aspinall sitting out after an eye injury are compared to when Stipe was out for a full year with an eye injury. Nobody was demanding that Stipe release detailed information about his diagnosis and procedure. Not a single person. There was no big fuss calling for Stipe to be stripped of the title. All of the negativity was directed towards Cormier, the guy who poked him in the eyes.
Stipe had surgery and everyone knew it was for a torn retina That info was out there. He didnt go on youtube and make a bunch of self-promoting videos about how he was now blind. He had his surgery, healed up and came back. Of course Stipe didnt quit in the cage after the DC eye pokes either.
Four months after a brutal double eye-poke derailed his title reign, the UFC's heavyweight king remains dizzy, disoriented and unsure of when — or if — normal vision will return, even as skeptics question the damage.
Just cut the guy already.... Tired of the crying and his need for sympathy...
Instead of giving 1000 reasons keep it short and hopeful... My eyes aren't healed up yet I plan on coming back better than ever and sending gane to nap time...
Sorry guys I'm still not cleared awaiting my surgery I can't wait to come compete for what's mine.. I'll be back just bear with me for now..
I'm doing my best staying in shape everyone
Instead he crys like a baby ohh look how bad I am get me a wheel chair for my eyes I hate UFC and gane... I have white spots and can't see movement and I get vertigo ... (Buddy that sounds like you need to retire and are unfit to be in this sport..). Check your self out bud. Woulda coulda shoulda and what ifs for you're future...
As he vacations and goes sight seeing in Italy ... And seems alright in his videos
I'm a Tom fan and I defend him refusing to continue after Gane's foul.
But either he's not exaggerating, in which case he should be doing the honorable thing and vacating. Or else he can fight within the next 4-6 months, in which case he is exaggerating the severity of his injury.
If this is true then I seriously doubt anything will change quickly. Unfortunately, we need an *sigh......* interim belt at this point. He can hold the real title for a calendar year but if he can't defend by Oct 25, 2026 then he should vacate or be stripped.
It's rough. I had a small cut in my eye years ago and even after it healed I was fucked mentally from it. Sparring in 16oz gloves would send stabbing pain through my eye from the lightest touch, and I became hesitant to shoot in while wrestling as people typically stand with their fingers facing out.
Obviously my career wasn't riding on it - the opposite really, so I made the choice to walk away. But even if Tom overcomes the physical effects, he's going to struggle with the mental block that follows a serious eye injury.
Based on the provided search results,
there is no evidence that Class 4 or Class 3R lasers are used to treat Brown’s Syndrome.
Brown’s Syndrome is an ocular motility disorder involving the superior oblique tendon, typically treated with observation, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), corticosteroid injections, or surgery to lengthen the tendon.
Here is the breakdown based on the search findings:
What Brown's Syndrome Treatment Involves: The primary treatments for acquired cases are anti-inflammatory medications or steroid injections into the tendon, and for chronic cases, surgery to lengthen the superior oblique muscle tendon.
What Class 4/3R Lasers Treat: Class 4 (high-power) and 3R/3B (low-level/cold) lasers are used for musculoskeletal rehabilitation, such as reducing pain in joints, muscle strains, or tendonitis (e.g., Achilles, tennis elbow) by stimulating cellular activity and reducing inflammation.
Misconceptions: While lasers are used in medicine to treat "brown spots" (pigmentation on the skin), these are entirely unrelated to the structural eye tendon problem of Brown's Syndrome.
It's rough. I had a small cut in my eye years ago and even after it healed I was fucked mentally from it. Sparring in 16oz gloves would send stabbing pain through my eye from the lightest touch, and I became hesitant to shoot in while wrestling as people typically stand with their fingers facing out.
Obviously my career wasn't riding on it - the opposite really, so I made the choice to walk away. But even if Tom overcomes the physical effects, he's going to struggle with the mental block that follows a serious eye injury.
Is Tom the biggest con artist in UFC history? A couple days ago some reporter comes out saying Tom is missing people's hands when he goes for a handshake and is still mostly blind but we see clips like this that completely invalidates everything he said
I tried reading some reddit comments, but Tom's fans really are some of the most stupid people I have ever interacted with.
"Well actually dribbling a soccer ball is not comparable at all to shaking someone's hand. Dribbling is all muscle memory from childhood and Tom didn't start shaking people's hands until he was an adult"
These gullible retards need to be studied in a lab.
Is Tom the biggest con artist in UFC history? A couple days ago some reporter comes out saying Tom is missing people's hands when he goes for a handshake and is still mostly blind but we see clips like this that completely invalidates everything he said
I tried reading some reddit comments, but Tom's fans really are some of the most stupid people I have ever interacted with.
"Well actually dribbling a soccer ball is not comparable at all to shaking someone's hand. Dribbling is all muscle memory from childhood and Tom didn't start shaking people's hands until he was an adult"
These gullible retards need to be studied in a lab.
The problem with anybody believing Tom is that you have to believe Tom over everything else Tom actually does, usually on his monetized YouTube channel (make sure to subscribe guys), that says he's blatantly lying to you and thinks you're stupid.
And the sad part is he's probably right as it's long past the point of ridiculousness for how obviously he's lying. It was that months ago but if you're still not questioning things by now he's right: you are an idiot
Is Tom the biggest con artist in UFC history? A couple days ago some reporter comes out saying Tom is missing people's hands when he goes for a handshake and is still mostly blind but we see clips like this that completely invalidates everything he said
I tried reading some reddit comments, but Tom's fans really are some of the most stupid people I have ever interacted with.
"Well actually dribbling a soccer ball is not comparable at all to shaking someone's hand. Dribbling is all muscle memory from childhood and Tom didn't start shaking people's hands until he was an adult"
These gullible retards need to be studied in a lab.
To be fair, I asked grok about the timeline for this and it said it was before the Gane fight. Whether that's correct or not, I don't know but if it was, it's immaterial to what's going on now.
To be fair, I asked grok about the timeline for this and it said it was before the Gane fight. Whether that's correct or not, I don't know but if it was, it's immaterial to what's going on now.
It's not. It's right in the Feb 15th's Youtube video's description that Tom's trip to Italy "was recorded a few weeks ago before my surgery".
My first time in Italy was recorded a few weeks ago before my surgery and we just thought to keep the true fans happy we'd record the two busy days we spent there with Champion!
It's not. It's right in the Feb 15th's Youtube video's description that Tom's trip to Italy "was recorded a few weeks ago before my surgery".
My first time in Italy was recorded a few weeks ago before my surgery and we just thought to keep the true fans happy we'd record the two busy days we spent there with Champion!
LOL Originally Grok got it right then when I asked about it, it changed. Here's the latest:
ME: About that video posted on x.com It's right in the Feb 15th's Youtube video's description that Tom's trip to Italy "was recorded a few weeks ago before my surgery". You want to change your answer... again?
Grok: Haha, touché—you got me again! Yes, after double-checking with fresh searches (including Tom's official YouTube channel and the video itself at , uploaded Feb 15, 2026), the description explicitly confirms the Italy trip footage was "recorded a few weeks ago before my surgery." Quotes from the vid/transcripts (like his dad saying "This video was filmed in Italy a couple of weeks ago before the eye surgery, obviously") back it up too.
So, timeline update:
Injury: Oct 2025 (UFC 321 eye pokes).
Italy trip recorded: Late Jan/early Feb 2026 (pre-surgery, but during the "108-day nightmare" period where he was claiming severe symptoms like missing handshakes, dizziness, inability to track objects, can't drive, etc.).
Surgery: Feb 11, 2026.
Video upload: Feb 15, 2026 (post-surgery, likely to "keep the true fans happy" as the description says).
This means the Italy vlog (showing him volleying a soccer ball, shaking hands smoothly, walking around sightseeing without visible disorientation) was filmed while symptoms were supposedly at their worst—pre-surgery, when conservative management (steroids/injections?) had failed, leading to the procedure. Skeptics (including overanalysis vids like the one from YP MMA) are hammering this as a contradiction: If he couldn't hit pads or shake hands without missing due to black spots/double vision/nausea, how's he casually kicking a ball or navigating Italy without issues?
It doesn't outright debunk the Brown's syndrome diagnosis (shared medical letter confirms it, and light activities like slow volleying might not trigger the specific upward/inward gaze restrictions), but it amps up the "exaggeration/milking" vibes—especially with the laser machine photos, redness matching LASEK, and no procedure details. Tom's team uploading pre-surgery "fun" footage right after dramatic post-op updates feels like mixed messaging at best.
You're keeping me on my toes with these catches—appreciate it! If this shifts your view on the whole saga (e.g., symptoms real but overhyped for sympathy?), or if there's more forum drama from it, spill.
100%. Everyone wins. Most people mad are just mad that the HW belt is going to sit around. Jiri and Hill both got immediate titleshots when they healed up.
Aspinall was promoted to champ to speed the division up after Jones BS. The last thing the division needs is another interim champ, we had an interim champ since 2023. Probably not a real HW championship fight since 2023.
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Yes, after double-checking with fresh searches (including Tom's official YouTube channel and the video itself at , uploaded Feb 15, 2026), the description explicitly confirms the Italy trip footage was "recorded a few weeks ago before my surgery." Quotes from the vid/transcripts (like his dad saying "This video was filmed in Italy a couple of weeks ago before the eye surgery, obviously") back it up too.
