It has now been over half a year since Tom Aspinall last fought. But the good news is, his path back to the cage now has a timeline and an opponent. The ‘Honey Badger’ has claimed that he would face the winner of Ciryl Gane vs. Alex Pereira, who are set to clash at the UFC Freedom 250 card on June 14 at the White House lawn. 

In case you need a refresher, Aspinall took on Gane at UFC 321 in October last year to defend his heavyweight title. However, the fight ended in a no-contest when the Frenchman poked Aspinall in both his eyes. Since then, the Brit has been in and out of the hospital for treatment, occasionally sharing medical updates. The most recent one came with the best update.

“We are just en route back from the eye hospital, where today I’ve had a scan,” Aspinall said in his YouTube video. “And things are progressing f—king nicely, which I’m very happy about. They’re saying [that] pretty soon, if things keep moving in the right direction, I will be cleared for contact [training]. I am back in the gym, I am back training—no sparring just yet, but if things keep going the way they’re going, we are back.

“Everyone keeps asking when I’m going to fight. The obvious answer is [that] the other two guys, Alex and Ciryl, have to fight for the interim title. I’m obviously going to fight the winner. The UFC [has] told me that I’m fighting the winner. First and foremost, I have to get my health right, which is on the right track.”

After Alex Pereira defeated Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320, he asked the UFC to match him against former two-division champion Jon Jones in the heavyweight division. While that didn’t happen, the UFC did allow him to face Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight belt. If Pereira manages to win his first heavyweight clash, he would look to unify the belt with Tom Aspinall down the line. But when may it happen?

“No specific month,” Aspinall added, answering whether there’s a specific month for his comeback. “I’m waiting to get clearance, which is going to be coming soon, they’ve just told me. Any specific month depends on the UFC. Those other two have got to fight each other. Let them do the thing first, recover from that, and then when everybody’s ready, we’ll do it.”

But interestingly, according to a man in Aspinall’s corner, Alex Pereira has once before rejected a fight offer against Tom Aspinall.

Teammate says Alex Pereira vs. Tom Aspinall was on the table before

Who knew that a potential clash between Alex Pereira and Tom Aspinall might already be closer than fans realize? According to Aspinall’s teammate, Phil De Fries, the fight was previously discussed behind the scenes.

“I’m pretty sure, you know, Pereira’s been offered Tom and said no. I’m fairly sure that’s a fact,” De Fries claimed. “You never know, Pereira might take the belt and run away, but I think Pereira sees Gane as an easier fight than Tom.

With Pereira now preparing to face Ciryl Gane, the timing of any alleged offer remains unclear. Still, De Fries believes Aspinall presents the tougher challenge. 

“Obviously, I think Tom’s better than Gane, but I’m not saying that because someone’s better, I think it’s just stylistically people match up better. But, that’d be great for Tom.”

It appears a path has been cleared for Tom Aspinall to return to action. And his next opponent depends heavily on what happens on the night of June 14. Who do you think the Brit will end up fighting?