Tom Aspinall opens up on retirement thoughts amid hospital check after UFC 321 eye poke

Michael Bisping, the biggest name in British MMA, made headlines by carrying on his career after losing sight in one eye.

Bisping’s story ended well. In June 2026, he went on to win the UFC middleweight belt after knocking out Luke Rockhold.

But Aspinall said that kind of injury would force him out of the sport straight away.

Sitting in hospital waiting for scans, the 32-year-old began to consider whether it was time to step away from fighting altogether.

“I really respect what Bisping’s done,” he began by saying.

“But he’s done more than I would. I won’t carry on fighting with one eye. No chance. No chance.

“Let’s see what they say.”

What’s next for Tom Aspinall?

Dana White does not usually give much away about future matchups straight after an event, but this time he made it clear: a rematch between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane is already in the works.

The UFC boss confirmed the plans to run it back, saying there is likely even more interest now given how things ended.

“It’s unfortunate it ended the way that it did, and yes, I think that there probably will be a lot more interest in the rematch after they say, you know, [Gane] had Tom bloodied up and Tom didn’t want to continue in the fight,” White said.

“So the rematch is very interesting… Right here, right now, being honest – I never do this when it comes to talking about what the next fight is going to happen – the rematch is what makes sense.”

The UFC can now plan a second fight with Gane once Aspinall receives a diagnosis from UK doctors.