After the 2025 eye injury, the Heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is once again ready to return to the Octagon. In parallel, expectations are rising for his rematch with former Muay Thai fighter Ciryl Gane.

On July 1, Aspinall shared a carousel on his Instagram, captioning it “June ✅ 🤔 🤛.” In the photos, the MMA fighter was seen doing training, which involves:

• Heavy bag straight punches
• Running
• Boxing focus mitt drill
• Grappling lock lift
• Low roundhouse kick

In fact, on June 26, Aspinall shared on his X account that he is fully back to his training routine. He wrote, “Back in full training for the Ciryl Gane fight, and we’re currently in talks with the UFC.”

Along with training, the 6' 5" fighter also focuses on getting conditioned. He shared a post on his Instagram on June 5, in which he was seen with endurance athlete Russ Cook. The post reads, “Getting that conditioning in with the absolute machine that is @hardestgeezer 👊🏃‍♂️” In the photos, he and Cook were seen running on a track.

That is not all. On May 13, Aspinall was seen with the German boxer Agit Kabayel. Kabayel shared the post on his Instagram, captioning it “Heavyweight session @champion mindset.” In the post, both were seen sparring, which included movements like:

• Punching
• Foot work

While the fighter is preparing hard for his return, the American MMA fighter Josh Hokit, who himself is climbing the ranks after beating Derrick Lewis at Freedom 250, suggested something else to the UFC. 

Josh Hokit’s suggestion to UFC on Tom Aspinall

According to Yahoo Sports, Hokit promoted himself to face Gane in September instead of Aspinall.  

While addressing the issue on June 30, the heavyweight division fighter sent a message on X.

“This crybaby has lost all of his aura.” He further offered a suggestion to the UFC, writing, “Here's an idea @ufc. Cut Tom. Ciryl is the undisputed champ anyway IMO. He made Tom quit. Tom's manager is trying to play games. Give me Ciryl in September, and when I win, I will give @AlexPereiraUFC a chance to get his self-esteem back in Nov/Dec. At least then we will have a champ who is down to fight all the time.”

Aspinall hasn't responded to these comments as of now.

Aspinall has been sidelined since October 2025, while Hokit has been active in the UFC.

Only time will tell who will face Gane, but in the meantime, it is quite interesting to see that players are pushing themselves to be in the Octagon and to be fighters. This shows the true spirit of sportsmanship.

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Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi