Michael Bisping questions Tom Aspinall's recovery timeline from eye poke

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Michael Bisping wishes a speedy recovery for Tom Aspinall, but he’d also like it if Aspinall was more forthcoming with his comeback timetable. During his Believe You Me podcast with fellow retired UFC star Paul Felder, Bisping discussed Aspinall’s ongoing hiatus as the heavyweight champion recovers from eye injuries resulting from a Ciryl Gane eye poke in their UFC 321 title clash this past October. The bout was ruled a no-contest and Aspinall has been on the mend ever since. Despite the occasional update, Aspinall’s return date remains a mystery, with the fighter recently saying he needs “another couple of months” at least before he can get back into camp. Bisping, who underwent surgery for a detached retina in 2013 before later completely losing vision in his right eye, wonders why Aspinall’s circumstances are so murky. “I’ve got to choose my words carefully here, but he just said he’s still not cleared to fight,” Bisping said. “But he’s been very vague with the details. Very vague with the details, you know? If I wasn’t cleared, because he’s got a YouTube channel, he posts content all the time, you’d talk about it. The procedures that he had, the operations, whatever they were. I had a surgery, it was a very, very serious surgery, it’s called scleral buckle, it’s gross what they do to the eyeball. I don’t 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 taken this whole eye poke saga.” Bisping’s math checks out. The former UFC middleweight champion went under the knife ahead of a fight with Mark Munoz that was to take place in October 2013. He withdrew from that fight and later booked a fight against Tim Kennedy in April 2014. In contrast, Aspinall has been out for over six months now with no sign of a heavyweight title defense being booked anytime soon. It should be noted Bisping preached caution this past January when it came to discussing Aspinall’s injury, but the extended stay on the sidelines feels off to him now. “I don’t say it stinks,” Bisping said. “As a guy, I know Tom. We used to have a close relationship, we don’t talk these days. He was a great guy, but maybe, I don’t know, you look between the lines, there’s something f*cking weird going on.” Another aspect of the Aspinall saga is unsure of is his fellow British standout’s alliance with Matchroom Boxing boss Eddie Hearn. A war of words has erupted between Hearn and UFC CEO Dana White over the past year with White encroaching on Hearn’s territory with his newly launched Zuffa Boxing promotion, and Hearn appeared to take a direct shot at White by recently signing Aspinall to a management contract. Bisping worries that Aspinall is being used as a pawn in the promoter feud, with Hearn daring White to release Aspinall from his contract. “Let’s just say—because there’s two things that are going to happen here—it’s either there’s some long, drawn-out dispute, Tom sits on the sidelines, he’s not fighting, or the UFC might just go, ‘You know what? Fine. Go on. Sod off,’” Bisping said. “[Alex] Pereira’s making, I hear $5 million for the White House fight, [Ilia] Topuria’s probably getting something similar, and when you’re going on a streak as an undefeated heavyweight champion of the world, you’re going to be on a large amount of money. So he’s leaving a lot of money there, and again, I’m not trying to talk shit about him, it’s just frustrating just seeing how this all plays out because, I might be wrong, I think Eddie’s kind of using him a bit here. But what’s he going to do? He ain’t going to go to another MMA promotion.” “Eddie Hearn can compare it to the boxing world all day long and go, ‘Anthony Joshua’s getting $25 million.’ This is bullshit. They’re unicorns in the boxing world. They’re, like, the biggest names. It’s crazy. I just want to see Tom back in the octagon. He’s a nice guy. I wish him the best.” TOP STORIES Transition. How Jeisla Chaves went from ring card girl to UFC fighter. Nips. Bryce Mitchell suffered burns in a sensitive area as a result of a surprising chemical reaction. Harsh. Brendan Allen calls Dricus du Plessis “a bitch” for allegedly avoiding a fight. Business. Joe Rogan reacts to MVP MMA success and Scott Coker’s return. Storytime. UFC White House promos will focus on history of the United States of America. Cash. Investors are about to get another big payday from TKO. VIDEO STEW UFC Vegas 118 weigh-ins. GSP and Luke Combs, because why not? Alexander Volkanovski looks ahead to UFC White House. Drew Dober breaks it down. Josh Thomson catches up with Mike Swick. Dream dinner party. SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE Gilbert Burns management signs its first fighter. View this post on Instagram Good for Gilbert. Gilbert Burns gets a RNC in his UFCBJJ Debut!!!!! pic.twitter.com/gPT8Q5mqp4 — Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) June 5, 2026 Read and react. View this post on Instagram OK, but when is the comeback? Khabib shares his thoughts on getting older and remaining grounded 🙏🏽⏳ "I'm 37. Maybe tomorrow is my last day, you never know. But getting older, just like everybody else, I don't like it. But this is what Allah gave us. We have to deal with this, and we have to understand.… pic.twitter.com/WdCCeo7sbp — FREAK.MMA (@FREAKMMA1) June 4, 2026 I’d watch. BMF Open division, lessgooo https://t.co/PQdA2NIigo — The Incredible Hok (@Josh_HokitUFC) June 5, 2026 FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS King Green (35-17-1, 1 NC) vs. Terrance McKinney (18-8); UFC 329, July 11 Bogdan Grad (15-4) vs. Dennis Buzukja (12-6); UFC Belgrade, Aug. 1 Ludovit Klein (24-5-1) vs. Tofiq Musayev (23-6); UFC Belgrade, Aug. 1 Mark Vologdin (12-4-2) vs. Josias Musasa (8-2); UFC Belgrade, Aug. 1 FEED ME MORE Still can’t believe this one. FINAL THOUGHTS Felder and Bisping, company men to a fault. — Lee EXIT POLL If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @AlexanderKLee of @JedKMeshew on Twitter and let us know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitch, and like us on Facebook.