Tom Aspinall addresses possibility of making octagon return at UFC 286 in London
Tom Aspinall has given a promising update regarding his injury and a timeline for his return. Although he claims there's a "slim chance," he revealed that competing at UFC 286 in London later this year is a possibility.
The heavyweight prodigy suffered his first defeat under the UFC banner last time out after an unfortunate knee injury forced a premature end to the fight at UFC Fight Night 208. If the Brit had managed to steamroll Curtis Blaydes the way he did against the rest of the division, he would likely be next in line for a shot at the title.
During a recent interview, Tom Aspinall announced that he feels "really good." He added that a couple more sparring sessions could see him make up his mind about whether he'd be one hundred percent by the time UFC 286 rolls around in March:
"I spoke to the UFC before Christmas about UFC 286 and they just said keep them updated if I wanted to be on the show or not... I'm just waiting to see where everything is at... If I give them a reasonable amount of notice, if I give them six or eight weeks, I'm sure they'll do their best to get me on. But it also depends on the division, it's got to be a fight that makes sense. It's got to be someone I'm interested in fighting... I feel really good and who knows, I might have a couple more spars and think stuff it, let's go for it, there’s a slim chance of that happening." [h/t OLBG]
UFC 286 will be headlined by the highly-anticipated Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman trilogy clash for the welterweight strap. Prior to the main event, London will welcome a co-main event fight-of-the-year contender between Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev, alongside a number of high-level British talent.
Who is available for Tom Aspinall to fight next?
If Tom Aspinall does make a sensational comeback to the octagon just months after his injury at UFC London in July, he has a number of opponents who will be available to greet him on his return.
After cutting his two-fight losing streak last time out, Jairzinho Rozenstruik is a dangerous matchup for the Brit. It would be a perfect test to see where the prospect is at following surgery.
Ranked above him, Stipe Miocic, Sergey Pavlovich, and an instant rematch against Curtis Blaydes are all viable bouts that could springboard him to a title shot.