Tom
Aspinall's Octagon return will have to wait.

Eddie Hearn recently hinted that the
Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight titleholder isn't
ready to return to action yet. Hearn claims that Aspinall is still
not medically cleared to compete after suffering an eye injury in
his last bout against Ciryl
Gane.

Eddie Hearn says Tom Aspinall is not medically cleared to fight
after his Ciryl Gane bout

While Aspinall still isn’t cleared to return to action, the head of
Matchroom Boxing assured fans that he is “motivated†and eager to
return as soon as he is permitted.

“The only thing that we have to look at is when Tom Aspinall will
be ready to return,†Hearn said in a recent press scrum captured by
Bloody Elbow. “And that's not from a mindset perspective; that's
from a commission perspective in terms of his injury. And that
shows you what he has been through because if the commission won't
let him fight, you know how serious the injuries were… He's
motivated. I can't give you an exact date you but what I can tell
you is he wants to get back in there as soon as he is physically
able to do so.â€

Aspinall (15-3) put his heavyweight title on the line against Gane
last October. The fight ended in a no-contest in the opening round
after Aspinall was rendered unable to continue due to a double eye
poke by Gane.

Aspinall subsequently had a falling-out with the UFC, claiming
Dana
White downplayed his eye injury. The Englishman has since
undergone multiple eye procedures and assures that he is recovering
well.

Anthony
Smith is set to return to competition amidst his legal
troubles.

Smith is set to fight Jordan
Heiderman in the main event of
Gamebred Bare-Knuckle MMA 12 on Oct. 2 in the Dominican
Republic. The former
Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight was arrested
in Sarpy County, Nebraska, in July following an alleged altercation
with his wife. Smith is currently out on bail and faces four felony
charges.

Gamebred FC explains decision to book Anthony Smith against
Jordan Heiderman

Smith's wife came out in his support soon after the arrest.
Meanwhile, the former UFC title challenger recently issued a
statement, promising to tell his version of the story soon.
Gamebred FC also released a statement, explaining their stance.

While Gamebred FC isn't undermining the charges against Smith, they
consider him innocent until proven otherwise. Gamebred FC also
wants to allow Smith to continue to earn while he deals with his
legal issues.

“As we announce Anthony Smith's return to the Gamebred FC cage, I
want to speak directly about where our organization stands,â€
Gamebred FC president and COO Lex McMahon
wrote in the statement. “Anthony is facing serious allegations, and
like every person in this country, he is entitled to due process
and the presumption of innocence while his case moves through the
courts. He has pleaded not guilty and that process deserves to play
out fully and fairly on its own timeline, without a promotion, a
headline, or public opinion getting ahead of the facts. Anthony
also has a family to provide for and competing is how he does that.
Taking away his ability to earn a living before he has had his day
in court is not something Gamebred FC is willing to do to him or to
the people who depend on him. Jorge and I have known Anthony and
his family for years. What we have seen, up close and over time, is
a loving, devoted husband and father — nothing else. That doesn't
mean we are closing our eyes to what has been reported. It means
that we also know there is more to this story than has made it into
the headlines. And we believe Anthony deserves the chance to tell
it fully, in the appropriate setting, not through speculation. Our
support for Anthony going forward is not a statement on the
specifics of the case — those will be decided by the court, as they
should be. It is a statement about fairness, about due process, and
about standing by someone we know until we are given real reason
not to. We will have no further comment on the legal proceedings
and ask that Anthony and his family's privacy be respected as this
continues.â€

Smith (39-22) exited the UFC following a loss to Mingyang
Zhang last year. “Lionheart†has since knocked out Chase
Sherman in his bare-knuckle MMA debut at Gamebred FC this past
April.

Jake Heun vs Daniel James

Gregory
Rodrigues sees openings he can exploit against Dricus Du
Plessis.

Rodrigues called out du Plessis after his recent victory over
Anthony
Hernandez, which extended his win streak to four straight. The
Brazilian views the former
Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champion as the
“most logical matchup†for his next bout.

Gregory Rodrigues explains why Dricus Du Plessis is the matchup
he wants next

With Khamzat
Chimaev's future uncertain, and Brendan
Allen and Joe Pyfer
already booked, Rodrigues claims the time is right for the du
Plessis matchup.

“That's the fight that makes the most sense,†Rodrigues told
Sherdog. “I don't know what's going on with Chimaev and I think
Brendan Allen and Pyfer already have fights booked, so DDP seems
like the most logical matchup.â€

Rodrigues remains open to other matchups but is confident he can
beat du Plessis, eyeing holes in the South African's game.

“Dricus is very strong and tough and he beat the current champion,
but he makes a lot of technical mistakes that I can capitalize on,â€
Rodrigues added.

Despite having two wins over the current champ Sean
Strickland, du Plessis seemingly isn't atop the pecking order
of challengers at 185 pounds. In his last outing, “Stillknocksâ€
beat former welterweight champ Kamaru
Usman in a lopsided decision.