Stipe Miocic Recalls UFC 241 Eye Injury While Praising Tom Aspinall for Vacating Heavyweight Title

The UFC heavyweight division has been left in a difficult spot since Tom Aspinall vacated his undisputed title in September. The Englishman announced on social media that another injury to his right eye during training had disrupted his recovery, leaving his return timeline uncertain.Aspinall hasn’t competed since October 2025, when his heavyweight title fight against Ciryl Gane ended in a no-contest following a series of eye pokes. The 32-year-old later revealed that he had already agreed to a date for his next fight before suffering another setback involving the same eye. Unfortunately, the latest injury means he will have to spend even more time away from the Octagon.The Englishman was originally expected to headline UFC 334 against Gane in a heavyweight title unification bout. However, his latest injury forced the promotion to change its plans. Gane has since been elevated to undisputed champion and is now scheduled to defend the belt against Josh Hokit.As for Aspinall, his next major update is expected to come in January 2027, when he revisits his doctor for another assessment. If the eye hasn’t recovered as hoped, he could require another operation. That would mark his third surgery on the right eye and fourth overall.Amid the uncertainty, former two-time heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic has praised Aspinall for making the difficult decision to vacate his title rather than keep the division waiting.Stipe Miocic Backs Tom Aspinall’s Heavyweight Title Exit For Full RecoverySpeaking to Casino.org, Miocic shared his thoughts on the situation and said, “Looking at Tommy’s situation, I just think, ‘Good of him to do that. I understand it’s probably hard for him to vacate his title the way he did. I give him kudos for doing that because I know it’s hard for him.”Miocic also related to Aspinall’s situation, having dealt with his own eye injury following an accidental poke from Daniel Cormier at UFC 241. That night, Miocic knocked out the Hall of Famer to reclaim the heavyweight championship he had lost at UFC 226.Reflecting on the experience, he added, “He was on top of the world, and then everything changed. He got an eye poke. I’ve been there. I’ve torn my retina before, and it’s tough. I just want to give him lots of credit for doing that.”The former champion then recalled how the injury affected him after his second fight with Cormier. He said, “It happened to me in my second fight with DC (Cormier). I got poked in the eye accidentally, and after the fight, I was kind of like, ‘Man, my eyes are kind of weird-looking and feeling weird.’ Unfortunately, these things happen, but he just has to move on from it and just see it as bad luck.”Miocic also had a message for the UFC, suggesting that Aspinall shouldn’t worry about the promotion’s reaction to his decision. He said, “The UFC’s never happy with anyone unless they’re making them a ton of money, so forget about them.He further explained why he believes vacating the championship was the right move, adding, “I think he did the right thing if you know you’re going to be out that long. I’ve been out for a while, but I’ve been back within the year. If it was any longer than that, I would probably do the same as he did and vacate.”  View this post on Instagram A post shared by MMA Orbit (@mmaorbit)ALSO READ:Robert Whittaker Returns to Australia After 6 Years for Light Heavyweight Clash With Bogdan Guskov at UFC SydneyAspinall’s extended absence has also put to rest much of the speculation surrounding the seriousness of his injuries following UFC 321 in October 2025. There is still no clear timeline for when the Manchester native will be cleared to fight again, but he will likely be keeping an eye on Gane’s upcoming title defense against Hokit at UFC 334.A successful title defense for the Frenchman could keep a potential rematch with Aspinall on the table once the former champion is healthy enough to return.