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UFC legend urges Tom Aspinall to avoid a mistake that led to him ‘never’ seeing out of one eye again

Originally posted on Bloody Elbow | By Kyle Dimond | Last updated Jan 3, 2026 8:57 PM ET

Tom Aspinall has received some advice from a fighter who knows what he’s dealing with.

Unfortunately, Aspinall’s need for two eye surgeries means that there isn’t a timeframe on when fans can expect to see him return to the Octagon.

The UFC heavyweight champion’s first title defense ended in disastrous fashion after Ciryl Gane poked him in both of his eyes.

While he’s focused on his health at this time, Aspinall is clearly fired up about a rematch with Gane.

A UFC legend who has been a huge supporter of the Brit has shared some wise words due to being able to relate to his fellow fighter.

Michael Bisping warns Tom Aspinall about the impact of coming back too soon

Michael Bisping’s reaction to Tom Aspinall’s eye injuries saw him criticize the way that eye pokes are punished in the UFC.

The former middleweight champion is able to relate to his fellow Brit having also dealt with significant eye injuries in his career.

Bisping had to hide the fact that he was legally blind in his right eye in order to continue competing in the UFC following his loss to Vitor Belfort in 2013.

“My retina was reattached after it was detached against Vitor Belfort, and then it re-detached, and then they fixed it again, and then I got glaucoma,” Bisping recalled in a recent YouTube video. “Once you start messing around with the eyes, in fact just like any part of your body, once you start going in and messing around with it, it’s never the same again.”

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‘The Count’ was somehow still able to continue fighting at a high level and win a UFC title, but his decision-making at the time didn’t allow his body to properly recover.

Bisping, who believes Aspinall made some mistakes ahead of UFC 321, said that while people did their best to help him heal from this injury, he tried to push through it.

“The one thing you can’t do with an eye is rush back. That is the one big lesson that I learned because I did that. I rushed back too soon. I rushed back to sparring, I rushed back to competition and I never saw out of that eye again.”

Joe Rogan expressed concerns about Tom Aspinall ever fighting again

Michael Bisping’s recent video about Tom Aspinall’s injuries came after Joe Rogan spoke about the UFC heavyweight champion during a podcast.

On the JRE MMA Show #172, the long-time UFC commentator said that there is a real possibility that the Brit may not fight again depending on how his surgeries go.

“I mean, that’s a disaster. Tom Aspinall still can’t see,” Rogan said. “He’s got a f—– up right eyeball still. The reality is he might not ever fight again. Like, who knows? If he has surgery on his eye, and it doesn’t go well and he can’t see out of the eye, apparently he’s still f—– up in his right eye. There’s some tendon damage or something.”

Rogan went on to mention Bisping’s career as an exception to this logic.

“Eyes are so tricky, you never know. Unless you’re a f—— complete psychopath like Michael Bisping, who fought 11 fights in the UFC blind in one eye, which is so crazy that he did that.”

This article first appeared on Bloody Elbow and was syndicated with permission.

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