Tom Aspinall has confirmed he will undergo eye surgery after sustaining vision problems during his no-contest fight with Ciryl Gane, as the UFC heavyweight champion outlined his recovery plans and issued a warning to his rival.

The injury occurred in the opening round of their bout several weeks ago when Aspinall was struck by accidental eye pokes, forcing the contest to be stopped and ruled a no-contest. Subsequent medical assessments identified damage that will require surgical intervention on both eyes.

Aspinall said reviewing footage of the fight later altered his view of what unfolded inside the octagon. “When it happened initially, I didn’t really think much of it. I thought it was an accidental eye poke. When I watch the fight back, that’s when I really got the gist of what’s going on. The guy was trying to f**king poke my eyes out all the way through that round,” Aspinall said.

The Manchester fighter confirmed that surgery is already underway and that another procedure is scheduled in the coming weeks as part of his recovery process. “By the time this is going out I’ll probably have surgery on one eye already. Next surgery is coming mid-January. So, we’re working towards getting back and that’s the plan,” he said.

Despite the setback, Aspinall made clear he intends to return to action and revisit the matchup with Gane once medically cleared. “Obviously the plan is to go back and beat the living daylights out of Ciryl Gane, that’s the plan,” he added.

Aspinall was crowned undisputed UFC heavyweight champion earlier this year following Jon Jones’s retirement, but his first title defence was disrupted by the injury, leaving the division’s immediate future uncertain as he focuses on recovery.