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Demetrious Johnson doesn’t think Tom Aspinall will ever return to the Octagon.

Aspinall was hoping to make his return before the end of 2026, but he has endured yet another setback. Shortly after UFC CEO Dana White told reporters that discussions would soon take place regarding the heavyweight title picture, Aspinall announced that he’s decided to relinquish the gold as he isn’t cleared to compete again at this time.

Johnson, a UFC Hall of Famer, chimed in on the situation in a reaction video posted on his YouTube page.

“Do you guys think we’ll ever see Tom Aspinall fight again? Logically, deep down in my gut, I would say no,” Johnson said. “I wouldn’t risk the opportunity of me losing my vision, not being able to see my children, not being able to see my kids. He could potentially lose one eye. I’m thinking worst-case scenario. I’ll be shocked if Tom Aspinall fights again just because when it comes to fighting, when it comes to training, that eye is always gonna be compromised. You could get eye poked again in training. You could get eye poked fighting again. Is he willing to take that risk?”

Ariel Helwani reported that plans were in place for Aspinall to meet interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane in a rematch in November. Helwani revealed that during a sparring session, Aspinall got hit and his right eye was “back to square one.” Aspinall’s eye issues began when he was double poked during his first meeting against Ciryl Gane, which led to a no contest ruling.

While Aspinall’s left eye is said to be fully healed, he will have to wait until early 2027 to find out if he needs a third surgery on his right eye. If that ends up being the case, it would be Aspinall’s fourth surgery in total since the double eye poke back in Oct. 2025.

Do you think Tom Aspinall should retire given his current nightmare scenario, or should he press on in hopes of being cleared to compete again? Drop a comment below.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM