Cristiano Ronaldo: UFC fighter used Man Utd star's rehab guy to recover from knee surgery

UFC star Tom Aspinall says he sought advice from Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo‘s former doctor a few weeks after his horrific knee injury.

The British MMA fighter, 29, was recently seen hitting the pads as he looks on course to be fit for a return to the Octagon in 2023.

And the Team Kaobon standout has spoken candidly about the advice he received while recovering after blowing out his right knee against Curtis Blaydes.

Speaking to UK eSports and sports betting site Midnite, Aspinall said he is in no rush to speed up his comeback.

READ MORE: Leon Edwards: UFC champion ‘100 per cent’ deserves to win BBC SPOTY award (exclusive)

“I got my surgery off the best surgeon in the UK – the top rehab guy in the UK,” he said. “He used to be Cristiano Ronaldo’s rehab guy.

“He’s seriously up there in the rehab world, and it feels great right now. I’ve been suffering with this knee injury for a long time. It feels way better than it has for a long time.

“Before, I had a knee injury – and no one knew I had a knee injury. Now I have the knee injury and everyone knows about it, so me as a high-level UFC fighter – I know how other high-level UFC fighters think. If I was fighting an opponent with a knee injury, 100 percent I’d be attacking that knee. No question about it, and I know people will be doing the same to me.

“So I’ll only return when I’m 100 percent confident in taking kicks to the knee off other guys my size or heavier. There’s no way I’ll come back any earlier. I need to make sure I’m 100 percent before I am booking a fight.”

READ MORE: Conor McGregor: Michael Bisping tells him to ‘relax buddy’ amid bitter public feud

Aspinall also revealed that he had been dealing with the injury for a number of years but