Michael Bisping and Paul Felder have publicly questioned Tom Aspinall’s extended absence from competition following double eye surgery earlier this year.
Aspinall underwent the procedure in February after being poked in the eyes during his title defense against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 this past October, a bout that was ruled a no contest when he could not continue. The winner of the interim heavyweight title fight between Alex Pereira and Gane at the UFC Freedom 250 co-headliner on June 14 is expected to unify the belt with Aspinall.
Felder suggested the fallout from the Gane fight may be affecting Aspinall’s mindset. “It feels like he got – and again, I haven't talked to Tom; I don't know this – but it just seems like that whole situation with Ciryl Gane got him real bitter, got him real angry,” Felder said on the “Believe You Me Podcast.” He added, “It feels like his head got real big real quick, and now he just thinks he's above and beyond fighting in the UFC. It's like dude, you haven't fought really much in three years.”
Bisping, who has his own history with serious eye issues, also voiced concern. “I've got to choose my words carefully here, but he just said he's still not cleared to fight,” Bisping said, noting, “But he's been very vague with the details. ... I had a surgery. It was a very, very serious surgery. It's called scleral buckle – look it up online. It's gross, what they do to the eyeball.”
“I don't know what he had, but he hasn't talked about that. I had that surgery, recovered, came back and had a fight in a shorter amount of time than what it's taking this whole eye poke saga. I don't know. You look between the lines, there's something f*cking weird going on. That's what it looks like. That's what it sounds like,” Bisping said.
