A doctor who specialises in sports medicine has revealed when Tom Aspinall will be declared 'ready' to fight again after he was poked in both eyes by Ciryl Gane during UFC 321 - on one condition.
Aspinall's UFC 321 main event against Gane, which saw him defend the UFC Heavyweight Championship for the first time, was waved off as a no contest in round one after the Frenchman poked him in both eyes - an action that was ruled to be accidental.
Aspinall's right eye had to be bandaged and patched, and he was taken to hospital for tests.
The 32-year-old complained of severe discomfort and blurred vision in his right eye, as well as issues with bright light.
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He confirmed in a YouTube video that he would be travelling back to the UK for further examinations before it could be determined whether he has suffered any permanent damage.
There has been no official indication yet on when Aspinall could return to the Octagon if he has avoided permanent damage.
In 2019, UFC featherweight Jeremy Stephens received a 180-day medical suspension after he was poked in the eye during a fight and suffered a corneal abrasion.
Stephens in fact returned to the Octagon just 27 days later after receiving specialist medical clearance.
Speaking on the newest edition of The Ariel Helwani Show, sports medicine expert Dr. Brian Sutterer has given his estimate of when Aspinall would be cleared to return to the Octagon, as long as he has not suffered damage to his retina or globe and his eye tests return normal results.
Sutterer explained: "If it's just a corneal abrasion, typically within a few days or a week they're feeling quite a bit better.
"I assume they will repeat these tests. I'm sure he'll see another one [eye doctor] when he gets back home. They'll repeat these exams, because sometimes these things can change, sometimes you might not see it right away.
"Assuming they re-evaluate and there's no damage to the retina, there's no damage to the globe, and his visual acuity [sharpness] comes back, I'd imagine he'll be fine in a matter of weeks and be back ready to fight - presuming there's nothing else they find with these possible post-fight injuries."
When asked by Helwani whether Aspinall could require a longer-term absence from the Octagon, Sutterer replied: "I don't think so, unless they find something new. Sometimes you have to do surgery for a detached retina. If they found something new like that, then that's a different story.
"But assuming all the tests continue to come back normal, I wouldn't expect that side to be any more sensitive to this or anything like that going forward."
Topics: Tom Aspinall, MMA, UFC
Ryan Smart