UFC’s Aspinall undergoes surgery on both eyes

UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall underwent surgery on both of his eyes Tuesday as he continues to make his way back from a pair of eye pokes suffered during a fight against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 in October.

Aspinall, 32, posted about the operations online, in coordination with his medical team at Optegra in London. Aspinall (15-3) has not yet been cleared to resume competition but has indicated he wants to rebook his matchup against Gane as soon as possible.

«After his highly publicised eye poke injury, Optegra’s expert team is proud to have supported MMA fighter and UFC Heavyweight Champion [Aspinall],» the online update read. «Over recent months we’ve been working closely with him on his recovery. Following his operation on both eyes we continue the journey to get Tom’s vision back to fighting fitness.»

Aspinall’s first title defense ended in a no contest when he was unable to continue after what was officially ruled an accidental eye poke. In the months since, Aspinall has said he believes Gane committed the foul on purpose. The English champion has suffered from double vision and lack of eye movement because of damage caused by the eye poke.