The UFC heavyweight division has been without its reigning champion since October 2025. A controversial series of eye pokes cost Tom Aspinall his heavyweight title defense against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321. Fast forward six months, and it’s clear that the heavyweight powerhouse isn’t ready to stay on the sidelines for long.

“Thomas Aspinall was drug tested this week,” wrote UFC Drug Testing Watch on X. “Test #2 of 2026.”

For those unaware, the leading MMA promotion has certain protocols for the fighters to follow before making a return. The first and foremost mandatory step is to go through a drug test. Administered by Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) and Drug Free Sport International (DFSI), through these steps, UFC aims to maintain sporting integrity, among other things.

So, yes, as a mandatory rule, since Tom Aspinall has been away from the octagon for around six months, he must undergo drug tests before returning. And he did. However, this update came just after the UFC heavyweight champion was also seen doing pad work. While these antics surely hint at Aspinall’s intention to return, he has yet to be given full medical clearance to fight.

Now, these might lead to the question of whether the eye pokes were that brutal. Well, Aspinall had to undergo double eye surgery (one on each eye) because he was diagnosed with traumatic bilateral Brown’s syndrome. In layman’s terms, it causes restricted eye movement (particularly upward/inward) and constant double vision, among others.

Following the surgery, Aspinall’s doctors were quite skeptical about his return timeline. As such, they noted that the recovery would depend upon multiple factors. While the exact return timeline remains uncertain, Aspinall’s records in the leading MMA promotion are seemingly getting affected.

Lightweight star breaks Tom Aspinall’s unique UFC record amid injury hiatus

Tom Aspinall made his way into the UFC in 2020 after boasting seven opening-round victories in the regional circuit. And right from his debut, the Brit continued similar performances in the leading MMA promotion. Out of his 10 UFC fights, only one went to the second round.

This eventually resulted in the record for the shortest average time spent inside the UFC octagon. Under Aspinall’s name, the recorded average timing was 2:18 seconds. However, just last week, lightweight star Terrance McKinney came in and broke the record. UFC Seattle was the event that was headlined by Israel Adesanya and Joe Pyfer.

McKinney fought Kyle Nelson in one of the undercard matchups. Surprisingly, in mere 24 seconds into the bout, ‘T Wrecks’ finished Nelson with a headkick and punches to secure a TKO win. While this single fight contributed to his new average, it was the cumulative length of all his bouts that ultimately broke Aspinall’s record.

As such, the lightweight fighter has fought in a total of 13 UFC matches. Out of these, 11 ended in the first round. He lost three of those fights, but the experience he gained in the octagon is important, no matter the outcome. The average length of those 11 fights helped McKinney rise to the top of the list with 2:16 seconds as his record timing.

Also, while Aspinall stayed away due to injury since October, McKinney already fought twice, in December and March. So, at the end, somewhere or other, the UFC heavyweight champion’s hiatus has been negatively affecting him.

This may be one of the reasons why Aspinall has begun training and undergoing drug tests, even though he has not yet received medical clearance. With that in mind, do you want the Brit to rush his recovery or take his time before returning? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!