Tom Aspinall Knee Injury: What Surgery Did He Have for ACL Tear?

Tom Aspinall‘s bout at UFC Fight Night: London in July 2022 ended on a rather grim note. The heavyweight fighter ended up on the losing side, and not in the most ideal way. Just 15 seconds into the first round, Aspinall suffered a serious knee injury. One that would sideline him from competition for a year.

However, the fighter made his triumphant return this year in July, securing a win over Marcin Tybura. However, the question that lingers in the minds of the fans is what exactly happened to his knee that led to his loss against Curtis Blaydes. Let’s dig in deeper to find out!

Why did Tom Aspinall lose to Curtis Blaydes?

When Aspinall collapsed onto the mat within just fifteen seconds, the referee, Herb Dean, immediately called the match off. He was in excruciating pain and couldn’t continue anymore, much to the confusion of his opponent and the fans in attendance. Once the fight was called off, Aspinall left the Octagon to get checked up.

His knee had gotten swollen, and the damage was significant. It turned out that he tore his MCL (medial collateral ligament) and meniscus, and there was also ACL damage to be found. The fighter would have to soon go into surgery to get himself fixed. The injury occurred as Aspinall threw a low kick at Curtis Blaydes, causing his right knee to buckle and collapse.

“I’ve got a lot to prove,” Aspinall said later. “I’ve got a chip on my shoulder and these heavyweights are in for a bad time now, let me tell you.” This marked his first loss in his UFC career. Losing the fight due to injury was indeed something that neither the mixed martial artist nor the fight fans anticipated.

Aspinall would admit that his injury was a bitter moment for him. He felt that he should not have earned his first record loss the way he did. Once he was out of the arthroscopic surgery and ready to go, he promised to give a tough time to all his opponents.

UFC interim HW champ confesses dark days during recovery

Recovering from a torn ligament comes with painful pangs and boatloads of bed rest. Making an effort to move becomes tiresome and with painkillers down the throat, the circadian rhythm also gets hampered. But the real pain begins with physiotherapy and rehabilitation to ensure that the knee functions just like it did before the injury. And the greatest toll is taken from the mind. Needless to say, recovering from an injury is one of the toughest phases of a fighter’s life.

Talking to ‘Mainevent’ before his rematch with Blaydes at UFC 304, Aspinall said, “With great difficulty, mate, to be honest. It was tough. I just decided, you know. I still remember the moment where I was sat, I was sat there. And to be honest, before, before I fought Blaydes the first time, I wasn’t really all in on MMA. I wasn’t as focused as I should have been, I wasn’t training properly. You know, I was doing a lot of stuff wrong. And I really decided that I’m either gonna retire from the sport, or I’m going absolutely all in and be 100% focused on what I’m doing. And I obviously decided to go all in.”

Do you believe ‘Honey Badger’ will successfully defend his interim heavyweight championship belt at UFC 304? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.