Tom Aspinall 'still can't see' from right eye after UFC heavyweight title fight against Ciryl Gane ended in a 'no contest'
Tom Aspinall's vision is still 'not good' after his UFC heavyweight title fight against Ciryl Gane in Abu Dhabi on Saturday; the British MMA fighter was unable to continue following an eye poke in the opening round; his father Andy says Tom will undergo additional tests this week
Wednesday 29 October 2025 08:53, UK
Tom Aspinall "still can't see anything" out of his right eye after his UFC heavyweight title fight against Ciryl Gane, his father says.
Aspinall's UFC title defence against Gane ended in a 'no contest' on Saturday night after the British MMA fighter was unable to continue following an eye poke in the opening round in Abu Dhabi.
It appeared that Gane caught his opponent's eye with his fingers after a punch, causing Aspinall to tell the cage-side doctor during a timeout that he could not see.
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"We got an appointment yesterday morning with a friend of ours who is one of the doctors at the UFC, and he got us a private appointment at Cheadle hospital," Aspinall Sr said on his son's YouTube channel, 'Tom Aspinall Official'.
"He [the doctor] said, it's bad, it's not good. His eye is a little bit more closed than it was and his right eye he still can't see anything, it's just grey.
"His left eye, 50 per cent, so one's really blurry and one's still not working.
"His [left] eye isn't following properly so the muscles aren't working strong enough. We've got to have additional tests this week, and he's got to have a CT scan to see if the bone is alright, but they do think it is."
Due to the UFC title fight ending in a 'no contest', Aspinall retained his belt, but with his vision still healing an expected rematch will have to wait.
Prior to the bout, Aspinall's father said he would prefer his son to pursue greater financial reward in boxing, sparking speculation over whether the Salford fighter has a long-term future in MMA.
"Some reporters think that because I think he should box because it's more money, that affected him in the fight," said Andy Aspinall, who was quick to deny any suggestions that his comments had been a distraction.
"I've never heard as much **** as people saying what I say affects Tom in the fight.
"I say loads of things to loads of people, people are around me all the time, boxers are around me all the time.
"It's just because of the money. It's back to, if your son was a fighter would you rather him fight for a ton of money or not for a ton of money. It's a no brainer, but people still have a 'narrative' of what a fight is."
