Doctor Brian Sutterer has spoken about the eye problems Tom Aspinall is currently dealing with.
The heavyweight champion had to stop fighting after taking pokes to both eyes from Ciryl Gane during their UFC 321 bout in October.
Even 40 days later, Aspinall’s vision has not fully recovered, and there is still no clear timeline for his return.
Earlier this week, the Briton shared his medical records in an attempt to address claims that he had faked the injury to avoid a possible defeat against Gane.
Doctor details ‘worst-case scenario’ for Tom Aspinall
Aspinall’s post-fight struggles have not just kept him out of action – they have also sparked plenty of questions about whether the injury was genuine.
Sports medicine doctor Brian Sutterer spoke up in support of the 32-year-old, insisting there is nothing fake about what the fighter is going through.
Sutterer not only backed the legitimacy of the injury but also explained that recovery could take much longer than anyone hopes. The worst-case scenario? Surgery, which would sideline Aspinall for a significant stretch.
He said on his YouTube channel: “First of all, this is a super-legit thing.
“There’s nothing like, ‘He’s making this up.’ This is nothing silly. This is nothing ridiculous.
“He’s seen eye doctors who have diagnosed him, and it’s a real thing that can cause very real symptoms.
“What’s unknown is how long this is going to take to get better… In the worst-case scenario, it’s surgery.
“If Aspinall needs surgery for this, then, yeah, I would expect that he’s going to be out for quite some time.”
Sutterer added: “Hopefully, he’s doing better with just the medications, plus or minus an injection.
“I would’ve hoped by now he was seeing some better improvements, but it sounds like there is a lot of ongoing watchful waiting and potentially more treatments to do.”
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