Tom Aspinall is almost ready to return to fighting, but he still has to cross some Ts and dot some Is.

The UFC heavyweight champion has been out of action since October after suffering an eye injury during his title fight with Ciryl Gane at UFC 321. In his absence, Aspinall's relationship with the UFC has seemingly gone through some ups and downs, so much so that Aspinall recently felt the need to squash rumors about wanting out of his UFC deal.

Those rumors appear to have stemmed in part from Aspinall's continued absence from the promotion, but his business manager, Eddie Hearn, explained what is going on.

Hearn Explains the Delay

"He's under contract," Hearn told Bloody Elbow. "The only thing that we have to look at is when Tom Aspinall will be ready to return. And that's not when he will be ready to return from a mindset perspective; that's from a commission perspective in terms of his injuries. 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."

Hearn emphasized that Aspinall is motivated and wants to return as soon as physically possible.

"He's motivated, and I can't give you an exact date yet, but what I can tell you is he wants to get back in there as soon as he is physically able to do so."

Return Rumors

As far as dates go, once Aspinall confirmed he was back to training, rumors flew about his return, with most suggesting a rematch with Gane might headline UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden in November. Hearn was unwilling to confirm those rumors, saying only that Aspinall wants to get back as soon as he is medically able.

"It all depends whether he'll be ready," Hearn said. "He's training. I think he's gonna have to go through some additional testing to make sure he's good to return, but he wants to fight."