Media Tom Aspinall's eyes one day post surgery

[ShaggyDoyle]

 

[Cowboy Kurt Angle]

“He’s clearly painted his eyes red” Dana White probably

 

[Ares Black]

Someone probably farted on his pillow

 

[oski]

It was a brutal looking surgery...

 

[Tweak896]

Is his recovery supposed to be quick? He still has a 2 month camp + recovery time. If it's going to be a year to bounce back from this, the UFC should really move forward.

 

[bng]

dude literally made LASIK and everyone dickriding him like crazy
I mean, what to expect from people who think laser correction procedures require scalpel
500+ upvotes

 

[El Fernas]

For some extrange reason the eye he never cared for, the one he never closed during the whole thing inside the octagon, is the super red one, both eyes got poked dont get me wrong.

PS: Has the actual procedure name come up? Dana White at one point looked like he knew what it was and didnt even wanted to enter that discussion...

 

[skylolow]

In before AI

 

[CatchtheseHands]

Is his recovery supposed to be quick? He still has a 2 month camp + recovery time. If it's going to be a year to bounce back from this, the UFC should really move forward.

Likely won't be a year, probably will take 2 months to heal then 2 months to get back to his base level of conditioning, 3 months for camp so we're likely looking at him return during the fall.

 

[Tweak896]

Likely won't be a year, probably will take 2 months to heal then 2 months to get back to his base level of conditioning, 3 months for camp so we're likely looking at him return during the fall.

Hmmm... well still I think they should vacate belt and have Pereira fight someone first half of year, then Aspinall fights winner. That is way too long. People were giving Jones for taking that time off end of his career just recently.

 

[fendertach]

"Tom gets paid to advertise eye clinic in instagram post in exchange for free Lasik eye correction surgery that's completely unrelated to his Browns Syndrome diagnosis"

This guy is a deceitful little twat.

 

[ArtardFiesta]

the ufc needs to strip tom period.

having a tourney to crown the new champ.

 

[Alpha_T83]

Is his recovery supposed to be quick? He still has a 2 month camp + recovery time. If it's going to be a year to bounce back from this, the UFC should really move forward.

I'm a huge Tom fan/defender, but I agree with you. Injuries are unfortunate, but if you're going to be out for 10+ months and you know it, I think fighters have a moral obligation to vacate.

Also there is a strong argument that Tom became the HW champion in June 2025, and hasn't had a successful title defense yet. The NC with Gane makes it like the fight didn't happen. IMO the UFC are within their rights to strip Tom of the belt in June 2026.

 

[piropiro]

I have some relatively extensive experience with eye surgeries, as I had PRK (a more "robust" alternative to the popular Lasik which doesn't create a potentially fragile "flap" so it's ideal for combat sports and military personnel), my wife had Lasik, my father cataracts, and a friend a surgery to the eye muscles following impact damage in kickboxing (likely similar to what Aspinall had).

Whilst the healing itself is fairly quick, from days to weeks depending on the procedures, you definitely cannot have any impacts or infection dangers (thus sweaty gloves etc) for a couple of months. So assuming these surgeries are successful and fully resolve his issues, he can recommence fight training in 2 months and therefore, at the earliest, fight in 4-5 months.

Additionally, because his specific issues have been caused by impact (poking), he will likely be highly protective of the eyes and need months to get comfortable with getting punched on them - even risk being poked, as it can indeed happen unfortunately - without being afraid of some renewed and more serious damage.

In general, whilst not career enders per se, these eye injuries can easily keep him away from fighting a whole year since they happened - autumn 25 to autumn 26 - and might have him return with a much greater fear of damage than he had previously, which obviously would be a psychological hindrance in the cage.

Overall a really unfortunate situation, going from being the new champ and the beginning of a new HW era, to an unclear return and a division in disarray for the foreseeable future.

 

[Killer Kadoogan]

that's just tom, post sherdog thread

 

[Tweak896]

I'm a huge Tom fan/defender, but I agree with you. Injuries are unfortunate, but if you're going to be out for 10+ months and you know it, I think fighters have a moral obligation to vacate.

Also there is a strong argument that Tom became the HW champion in June 2025, and hasn't had a successful title defense yet. The NC with Gane makes it like the fight didn't happen. IMO the UFC are within their rights to strip Tom of the belt in June 2026.

The only difference is his next fight is a defense or it's for the belt. Which he was only promoted to champ because of the Jones BS to move the division forward. He still can be the #1 HW as soon as he returns. Jiri or Hill got the immediate title shot as soon as they were ready.

In my head, it was either Aspinall/Gane rematch by April or the title needs to be vacated. It's really shitty luck Tom has had, the knee injury, then Jones, now the eye poke. However he's still a fighter who has only won interim belts, so why stop Pereira from moving up? Another interim belt creates the same problem promoting Aspinall to champ was supposed to solve.

 

[Qays Stetkevich]

dude literally made LASIK and everyone dickriding him like crazy
I mean, what to expect from people who think laser correction procedures require scalpel
500+ upvotes

View attachment 1133551

By "scalpel" he meant "Gane's yellow fingernail".

 

[TrueBias]

Can someone close say, "we believe you...or dont, just do what you gotta do to achieve the confidence to return. Or dont, we dont care anymore."


Let's move on. Vacate the belt.

 

[Rampage_Jackson]

 

[Rampage_Jackson]

Can someone close say, "we believe you...or dont, just do what you gotta do to achieve the confidence to return. Or dont, we dont care anymore."


Let's move on. Vacate the belt.

vacate the belt for what lol what two non Aspinall fighters are you clamoring to see paired up for a heavyweight championship fight in the immediate future