Tom Aspinall just signaled his comeback by posting a new training video on Instagram showing his progress after a serious eye injury. This post is the first major step in his journey back to the octagon after previously expressing uncertainty about his future.

Last year, a devastating blow hit the UFC fighter after suffering an eye injury in October due to double eye pokes from Ciryl Gane. The incident took place in the main event of UFC 321, where Aspinall was defending his UFC heavyweight championship against Gane. After the incident, Aspinall went through multiple surgeries.

His recent post, however, signaled a positive turn. On March 20, the undisputed UFC heavyweight king posted a video on his Instagram captioned “Coming for it all."

In the video, he was seen working out and performing:

• Shadow boxing
• Punching  practice on a sandbag
• Heavy sandbag lifting
• Practicing back suplex to a sandbag (grappling technique)

The video ended with the message: “IT BEGINS. BACK TO WORK.”

In fact, the UFC heavyweight champion himself commented on the video and wrote: “Back to it 👊🎥” He already expressed the certainty of his comeback in the sport earlier this month when he signed with a boxing promoter, Eddie Hearn's agency, for representation on March 5. 

If things continue smoothly, Aspinall could return in the latter half of 2026. On March 15, the 32-year-old shared another video on Instagram of himself practicing kick defence with rapper Aitch. 

His progress indicates he is preparing for an eventual return.

Aspinall’s training partner, Modestas Bukauskas, has also revealed his thoughts on his return to the sport.

Modestas Bukauskas View on Tom Aspinall’s Return

According to the BBC, when Modestas Bukauskas asked about Tom Aspinall’s comeback to the cage, he replied: “When he comes back, expect to see the most dangerous Tom Aspinall you've ever seen.”

He further explained, “He's an incredible athlete, an incredible person, and this is only going to make him that much sharper and better. Heavyweight division, watch out”.

The Lithuanian-British mixed martial artist, who on January 25 competed at UFC 324 and was defeated by a late TKO by Nikita Krylov, explained that Aspinall's injury prevented the 2 from training together.

However, he has remained in contact with Aspinall throughout his recovery and said, “I’ve been keeping tabs, sending messages here and there to [check] how he’s doing.”

Aspinall appears focused on his recovery and return to the sport with a more dangerous version than ever. With the heavyweight division struggling with lackluster performances, the champion's return would provide a much-needed boost to the division.

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Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil