Tom Aspinall Facing Potential Suspension After UFC 321 as Precedent Set
UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall could be handed a suspension following the eye injury sustained during his fight with Ciryl Gane.
On Saturday night, Britain's UFC champion Aspinall made his much-anticipated return to the octagon following a 14 month spell on the sidelines caused by Jon Jones' inactivity.
The fight was meant to be a triumphant comeback for the Brit, with a win over top contender Gane setting him up for a potential mega fight with either Jones or light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.
However, things didn't go to plan as the fight was called off shortly before the end of the first round after Aspinall suffered a gruesome injury following a double eye poke from Gane, rendering the fight a no-contest.
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Since then, fans have been eager to discover when we can expect to next see Aspinall fight, and if a previous example of a similar injury is anything to go by, the Brit could face another long spell on the sidelines.
As it stands, the severity of Aspinall's injury is not yet known, meaning we can only speculate on how long the heavyweight champion will have to wait until he rematches Gane and settles their rivalry.
However, back in September 2019 UFC featherweight Jeremy Stephens was hit with a 180-day medical suspension after he suffered a similar injury when he was poked in the eye by Yair Rodriguez.
The two featherweight contenders met in the UFC Fight Night 159 headliner but the fight was quickly called off after Stephens was badly poked in the eye after just 15 seconds
Stephens was unable to open his eye after the foul despite being given a recovery period of several minutes, forcing medical officials to call off the fight and rule it a no contest.
Following the fight, the UFC confirmed that Stephens would have to wait 180 days before returning to the octagon, unless he was able to get medical clearance by an ophthalmologist for a corneal abrasion.
Eventually, the American fighter did just that and ended up rematching Rodriguez less than a month later, losing the fight by unanimous decision.
With that in mind, it's possible that Aspinall could be handed a similar suspension and will need to pass tests with an ophthalmologist if he plans to return to the octagon before April 23 next year.
Thankfully, in a video posted to his YouTube channel, the heavyweight champion appeared to confirm that he did not suffer any long-term damage from the eye pokes, perhaps suggesting that he would be able to pass such tests.
However, it remains uncertain when Aspinall would plan to fight Gane for a second time should he be medically cleared to do so.
Topics: UFC, Tom Aspinall, MMA, Injury
Ben McCrum