Tom Aspinall backed for UFC comeback by Jon Jones’ protege Gable Steveson after vacating belt

Tom Aspinall has surprisingly received the backing of Jon Jones’ protege after his UFC comeback plans took a major hit this week.

Back in October, Aspinall was poked in the eye by Ciryl Gane resulting in him undergoing three eye surgeries. He was due to return in November, but suffered a further setback in training and now has relinquished his heavyweight title given how unclear the timeline for his comeback has become.

He spent years feuding with and pursuing Jones in an effort to unify the division, but the fight ultimately never came to fruition. The legendary two-weight champion opted to retire, but remains active training with 1win.com ambassador Steveson.

With Tom Aspinall now on the shelf for the foreseeable future, Gable Steveson has one less top name to worry about as he plans his rise up the heavyweight ranks. However, he isn’t one of the Brit’s many sceptics, and wants to see him return as quickly as possible.

Speaking with Bloody Elbow via 1win.com, Steveson noted that “I respect Tom for making that decision. Obviously nobody wants to give up a UFC title, so I’m sure it wasn’t an easy thing for him. At the end of the day, you’ve got to take care of yourself first.

“The heavyweight division moves fast, though, and now everybody is looking at that belt. I’m one of those guys looking at it too… I don’t know Tom’s medical situation, so I’m not going to sit here and pretend I know what he’s dealing with.

“Only he and his doctors really know that. But if he says he needs time, then he needs time. I hope he gets healthy and gets back in there. I want to see him fight again.”