Demetrious Johnson fears Tom Aspinall may never fight again

Demetrious Johnson believes the risk of further eye damage could prevent Tom Aspinall from returning to competition. Aspinall has said he is not retiring and intends to fight again once healthy and medically cleared.

Demetrious Johnson has questioned whether Tom Aspinall will return to fighting, saying on his YouTube channel: "I'll be shocked if Tom Aspinall fights again".

Aspinall has said he is not retiring and intends to return once healthy and medically cleared. In his Instagram statement, he said he vacated the UFC heavyweight championship on 14 September 2026 because ongoing eye complications prevented medical clearance, explaining that he did not want to hold up the division.

Johnson's concern centred on his belief that Aspinall's eye would remain vulnerable during training and competition. He said scraping or another eye poke could risk vision loss, framing that assessment in personal terms: he would not risk losing his sight or being unable to see his children. His comments were a prediction, not an official retirement announcement by Aspinall.

Aspinall's most recent bout ended in a first-round no contest against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 on 25 October 2025, after accidental eye pokes left him unable to continue. ESPN reported that Aspinall was diagnosed with significant bilateral Brown's syndrome and underwent surgery on both eyes in February 2026. As of 10 February, he had not been cleared to resume competition.

The later right-eye complication was a separate injury. Aspinall said in his Instagram statement that, after agreeing a fight date and resuming sparring, he suffered further damage to his right eye in an accident.