"Because of my dirty hands... I'm going to smash your face" UFC Champion Announces Surprise Return → Reversal of Retirement Implications

*This content was translated by AI.

UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall (33, England), who suffered a fatal eye injury in the match against Cyril Gane (36, France), is finally expected to return to the Octagon. Aspinall makes a new move by joining hands with a British big-name promoter.

According to a report by sports media "ESPN" on the 6th (Korea Standard Time), Aspinall signed a contract with Eddie Hearn's newly established matchroom talent agency.

Eddie Hearn is a prominent promoter who manages boxing gold medalist Anthony Joshua of the U.K. who recently faced Jake Paul. Aspinall released a photo of him shaking hands with Hearn on his personal social network service (SNS), announcing the news of the contract along with the phrase "Return to Business."

He is a champion who overcame the crisis of career interruption. Aspinall suffered a serious eye injury that threatened the player's life after being stabbed in the eye during a match with Kanneh.

Only one fight caused great devastation in the UFC world. Aspinall has suffered from double vision and eye movement disorder after being stabbed in the eye by Gane several times in the UFC 321 title match in Abu Dhabi in October. "I will never fight with one eye," Aspinall said, adding, "I will never stand in the Octagon again if my vision is not 100% restored."

The severity of the injury also led to an early retirement plan. Aspinall said, "An eye injury is different from a knee injury," adding, "I want to play in good health. I think the retirement period is probably 35 or 36 years old," he said.

Furthermore, Aspinall's father said through Sky Sports in the UK, "My son's right eye is currently damaged enough to appear only gray, and his left side has also recovered only about half," adding, "It is a serious situation suffering from Brown syndrome, a rare disease that limits eye movement."

Especially, Aspinall cited Gane's foul play as the cause of the injury. "Gane was stretching his finger to dig out my eyes," he said on the "Ariel Helwani Show," warning, "I can't play because of his dirty hands, but if I return, I will definitely smash your face."

Aspinall's contract with Hearn is the talk of the fighting machine. That's because Hearn and UFC President Dana White have been engaged in a strange war of nerves.

According to ESPN, White recently recruited boxer Conor Benn, who was Hearn's star. In this situation, Aspinall, who has shown disagreement with Chairman White, chose Hearn, the chairman's hostile relationship, as a business partner.

Hearn, who eventually signed a contract with Aspinall, praised him as "Aspinall is the best player with both humility and heroism." Aspinall also showed deep trust, saying, "Hun is an expert who knows how to develop the player one step further."

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*This content was translated by AI.