After Tom Aspinall clarified a few days ago that the reports of his UFC exit were nothing more than a rumor, his imminent return to the Octagon is now what many are looking forward to next. However, the UFC heavyweight champion’s ongoing issues with his eyesight continue to prolong that highly anticipated comeback.

The Englishman’s manager, Eddie Hearn, recently appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show and shared a concerning health update. According to Hearn, while he thinks Aspinall will fight again this year, the fact remains that he’s not yet fully recovered from the eye-poke injury he sustained last October at UFC 321. Even though Hearn explained that Aspinall wants to return, getting the clearance from the athletic commission is a different matter altogether.

“I think, to be honest with you, the problem is if he’s actually medically ready to fight, not in terms of how he feels, but in terms of what the commission would say or what the medical would say,” Hearn said. “He’s training, he’s ready, he’s eager to come back, but you can’t afford, with that kind of injury, to make a poor decision and come back too early, because it cannot just cost you your health. It can cost you your eyesight.

“And, you know, as frustrating as the injury has been, I’m actually quite happy that people are getting to see the severity of the injury, because I actually couldn’t believe the stick that he got at the time.”

This is not the first time Eddie Hearn has pointed to Tom Aspinall’s eye problems as a major hurdle to his comeback. While reacting to the UFC heavyweight champion’s exit rumors during a media scrum a couple of days ago, the British promoter said Aspinall would need “additional testing” along with another ok from the commission before he could return.

Tom Aspinall suffered bilateral ocular trauma and Brown’s syndrome after the double eye poke during his main event fight with Ciryl Gane at UFC 321, which the referee ultimately ruled a no-contest. The British heavyweight later detailed the extent of his injuries, revealing that the injury had left him with a constant double vision and compromised his eyesight to the point where he couldn’t track fast-moving objects. He also had a black spot in his vision, making the issue even more troubling.

Since then, Aspinall has undergone four eye surgeries in less than a year, making his recovery a grueling medical ordeal. However, the Englishman returned to training in late June after Gane called him out following his victory over Alex Pereira at the UFC White House event. Yet, despite his eagerness to return, Hearn believes Aspinall’s comeback is ultimately dependent on how quickly he can fully recover from the eye injury.

“You know, I know that he’s had four operations now,” Hearn explained. “And, like, it’s still an ongoing issue. And it can’t be nice going into a sport like that with an issue like that. But he’s a tough man. And he’s desperate to (come back).”

Eddie Hearn’s warning comes after UFC CEO Dana White also recently addressed Aspinall’s condition. While dismissing the Englishman’s UFC exit rumors, the 57-year-old clarified that the promotion is happy to have him back and that he will return once he is healthy.

For now, then, Tom Aspinall’s return appears to be less about his willingness to fight and more about whether he can receive the necessary medical clearance. But while discussing the heavyweight champion’s comeback, Hearn also used the opportunity to take another shot at the UFC’s business practices.

Eddie Hearn blasts UFC over treatment of athletes’ careers

For a long time, the British promoter has remained critical of the UFC, particularly when it comes to its business practices. This time, Hearn took aim at what he believes are restrictions that prevent fighters from exploring opportunities outside the promotion, arguing that such limitations can ultimately hurt their careers.

To make his case, Hearn used Paulo Costa as an example. The Brazilian is currently in rocky negotiations with the UFC and has one fight remaining on his contract.

“We’re not in that marketplace yet,” Hearn told Helwani. “We may be. But right now, if you’re an MMA fighter, it’s quite interesting because, you know, there’s a little bit of a purse bid situation rocking around. And I follow some of the other guys both ways, by the way. PFL guys who might be out of contract who could go to UFC and vice versa. So that’s great for fighters.

“I mean, that’s one of the reasons that boxers make so much money, because there’s a multitude of promotions. And this is the other thing people don’t understand. These guys, TKO, UFC, they don’t want that. They don’t want fighters to have a choice or an option. They want to be the only shop in town and the only chance you have to have a career.”

The Brazilian is asking the UFC for his final fight so he can explore opportunities outside the promotion and potentially make more money. He has also presented another option to remain with Dana White’s promotion, but only if he gets the chance to fight for the interim title next. However, Costa claimed that the UFC still hasn’t offered him anything beyond a short-notice fight against Ankalaev in Abu Dhabi, which he rejected.

Eddie Hearn believes that restricting fighters from competing for other promotions, as the UFC does, ultimately limits the fighter’s ability to negotiate better opportunities and make more money, something he argues does not happen to the same extent in boxing.

For now, though, the focus remains on Tom Aspinall and whether his eyesight will allow him to return to the cage. The heavyweight champion is eager to make his comeback, but as Hearn made clear, there is little point in rushing the process when his health could be at stake.