UFC Heavyweight Champion’s Surgery: What Does It Do for the Upcoming Rematch?
Reigning UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall underwent another surgery for both of his eyes earlier this week, a few months after his disastrous first title defense against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321. The bout resulted in a no-contest in the first round when Gane poked Aspinall’s eyes simultaneously. Aspinall was not able to continue the fight after the five-minute break. He has gone on social media and public outlets talking about his vision since the injury. He has mentioned issues such as lingering double vision as a result of the eye pokes.
Aspinall’s first set of eye surgeries was in late December of 2025. The champ continues to rehabilitate and regain his vision. Immediately after the fallout, Dana White said that he would rebook the title fight, but there has been no timetable for Aspinall’s return to the Octagon. We have no idea when he will be fully healthy. Let's look at a normal rehabilitation to get an idea of when a rematch could take place.
In his last update on his YouTube channel, Aspinall released a doctor’s note about the injury. He was told by doctors not to continue physical activities until the eyes were completely healed. Depending on what surgeries he gets this time, it could take anywhere from a couple of weeks to over half a year. This does not include setbacks in the procedures or lingering side effects afterwards. It honestly depends on Aspinall’s recovery and response to the surgeries. In his last YouTube upload, Aspinall was not wearing any form of eye protection and was able to do some light physical activities, but this was all before his surgery earlier this week. Aspinall also needs to get back into fight form and have an elite training camp in order to prepare for another fight against Gane. Fight fans hope to see the rematch later this year. The White House card could be a possibility if Aspinall’s recovery goes well. Setbacks could cause fight fans to watch the rematch towards the end of 2026. Fight fans want to see a healthy Aspinall return, but also hope to get their money’s worth this time.
