Demetrious
Johnson questions whether Tom
Aspinall will ever return to action in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Aspinall recently announced that he's vacating the UFC heavyweight
title after ongoing complications from his eye injuries prevented
him from receiving medical clearance to fight. The British
heavyweight was hoping to return against Ciryl Gane
in a rematch and title unification bout, but an accident during
sparring caused further damage to his right eye. Now, Johnson
believes there's a real possibility he never fights again.

Demetrious Johnson explains why Tom Aspinall's eye injury makes
him doubt a UFC return

Johnson addressed Aspinall’s situation on his YouTube channel and
said the severity of the injuries makes a comeback difficult to
envision.

“I sent Tom Aspinall a message today and I said, ‘Dude, I'm sending
good vibes, I'm hoping your eye gets healed,'†Johnson said. “We
don't know if we'll ever see Tom Aspinall again inside the UFC
Octagon. Deep down in my gut, I would say no.â€

The UFC Hall of Famer explained that he believes the risks
surrounding Aspinall’s eye could make a return too dangerous.

“I wouldn't risk the opportunity of me losing my vision and not
being able to see my children,†Johnson added. “I would be shocked
if Tom Aspinall fights again. Just because when it comes to
fighting and training, that eye is always gonna be compromised. Is
he willing to take that risk? I wouldn't take that risk.â€

Johnson also expressed concern about Aspinall's eye remaining an
issue for the rest of his life.

“This is something he's gonna be battling for the rest of his
life,†Johnson said. “He could potentially lose his eye.â€

Aspinall, however, has vowed to return to fighting once he's
medically cleared.

Scott Coker is back! And he’s bringing… well, we’re not quite sure who with him, but we do know he has a ring and a promotion, Ki MMA, for fighters to compete in.

Coker and co. aren’t making any lofty promises and the former Strikeforce and Bellator boss is also reaching into his old bag of tricks with tournaments being involved in the inaugural 2027 season, but given Coker’s experience and connections, it’s safe to say fight fans will have something to buzz about soon.

Or maybe the buzz is already buzzing? I’m still making up my mind, but I want to know how excited you all are to have Coker back in the MMA space with Ki MMA.

Michael
Page believes the
Ultimate Fighting Championship could have parted ways with him
in a more respectful manner.

Page (26-3) exhausted his UFC contract with a lackluster unanimous
decision win over Nursulton
Ruziboev at
UFC Paris. “Venom†was denied a post-fight interview,
subsequently dropped from the official UFC rankings and UFC CEO
Dana
White confirmed that his contract wouldn't be renewed.

Michael Page questions UFC treatment after four straight wins
and contract exit

Page went 5-1 in the UFC and was riding a four-fight win streak
upon exhausting his contract. As such, he believes he deserved
contract negotiations at the very least, rather than a straight
departure from the promotion.

“I had goals to achieve and regardless of anything, I was winning
my fights, which says to me you get to stay,†Page told Ariel
Helwani. “That’s the premise of this game, is success should breed
more opportunities. So, I still felt like we’ll sit down at the
table… I felt what may happen is they just say, ‘Look, we can
re-sign you, but it’s going to be a lot less,' and we work from
there. But I wouldn’t have expected it to be dealt with in the way
that it was dealt with. I found that quite disrespectful, to be
fair.â€

Page was known for his highlight-reel knockouts in Bellator
MMA. He parted ways with Bellator in 2023 when it was taken
over by the
Professional Fighters League and signed with the UFC. Page's
flashy style didn't translate into his UFC career as he faced
severe backlash for point-fighting from a distance and failing to
record a single finish inside the Octagon.

Notably, Page wasn't allowed a post-fight Octagon interview after
his win over Ruziboev, marking the second time this has happened.
He says the UFC could've let him speak to the Paris crowd when they
already knew he was going to be released.

“You’ve seen fights that have been absolutely terrible and they
still get to go on the mic and say their piece,†Page added. “So,
this is the second time it’s happened to me. I feel like,
especially if you knew you weren’t going to re-sign me, what was
the harm in even allowing me to speak to my fans, speak to the
Paris crowd who are amazing? I don’t understand who makes those
calls, to know who I’d even go to, to be like, ‘What’s that
about?'â€