"I gambled a little bit too much on this one" - Tom Aspinall reveals why his knee surgery kept getting postponed much before fight against Curtis Blaydes
Tom Aspinall has opened up about his devastating knee injury at UFC London against Curtis Blaydes. Aspinall's knee injury was pre-existing, originating before he even signed with the UFC.
Tom Aspinall lands a leg kick then falls to the ground in pain, ending the #UFCLondon main event.
Curtis Blaydes wins via TKO. https://t.co/GDJcOmyXHW
The 29-year-old heavyweight continued to receive exciting opportunities and he never turned them down, leading to him postponing the surgery several times. During an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Aspinall had this to say about not getting the surgery sooner:
"They [the UFC] said yeah, sure, we're gonna come back [to the UK] in ten weeks. So, I thought, man, I can't get the knee sorted out now. Let's just do one more. Let's just do one more. We can do one more. I managed it for this many fights so far. I managed it for like six-seven fights. Let's do this one more, and then we're gonna get the knee sorted out. I gambled a little too much on this one."
Aspinall had successful surgery to repair a torn MCL, meniscus, and ACL. Concerns have risen about him never fully recovering from the injury. The road to recovery will be brutal, but the 29-year-old has faith. Luckily, he expects to be back in training in less than a year.
Watch Tom Aspinall and more on The MMA Hour below:
Tom Aspinall expects to be working out in 8-10 months
Knee surgeries, especially for a heavyweight fighter, are scary because it could take up to two years to recover, and some injuries don't even fully heal. Aspinall revealed his potential timeline for recovery on The MMA Hour by saying:
"They say with this kind of injury, eight months is when you can start working out again properly... Mine's a little bit more complex than usual. A little bit more complex. Usually, it's about eight to ten months before you can start working out again."
Aspinall needs to focus on his rehabilitation and get back into the mix at heavyweight. Fortunately for him, the division lacks contenders and won't forget about him in less than a year.
Tom Aspinall is the Future https://t.co/R0e6hXRHJo