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MIXED MARTIAL ARTS: Briton diagnosed with rare condition after accidental eye poke

Briton Tom Aspinall said he has been diagnosed with Brown’s syndrome in both eyes and is not cleared to fight after an accidental eye poke ended his UFC heavyweight title defense against Ciryl Gane in a no-contest in October.

Karan Prashant Saxena

December 1, 2025

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS: Briton diagnosed with rare condition after accidental eye poke

UFC heavyweight Tom Aspinall sidelined with rare Brown’s syndrome after eye injury, says he’s following doctors’ orders before return to cage.

Reuters

Briton Tom Aspinall said he has been diagnosed with Brown’s syndrome in both eyes and is not cleared to fight after an accidental eye poke ended his UFC heavyweight title defense against Ciryl Gane in a no-contest in October.


Aspinall posted a medical report on his Instagram account on Sunday showcasing he is having double vision, reduced eye motility, visual function and a substantial field loss.


"Depending on clinical progression, targeted periocular steroid injections or surgical intervention to address persistent motility impairment may be required if symptoms fail to resolve," the report showed.


Brown's syndrome is a rare eye condition where one eye has trouble moving upward.


"We've got to see how it goes over the next few weeks. I'm not in the gym training at the moment," the 32-year-old Englishman said in a video posted on his YouTube channel on Sunday.


"I'm not doing anything MMA wise at the moment. I'm just following the doctor's orders right now."


Aspinall said he is eager to get back into the cage with Gane and will do so when he is declared fit: "I've got to be 100% right. So whenever the eye's good to go, that's when I'll do it."


-Karan Prashant Saxena/Reuters

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