Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling has reinforced his controversial stance regarding Tom Aspinall’s handling of an eye poke incident during UFC 321, despite significant fan criticism.
In a video statement addressing the backlash, Sterling maintained his position on Aspinall’s communication with referee Jason Herzog during the heavyweight title fight against Ciryl Gane, which ended in a no-contest after Aspinall declared he couldn’t see following an eye poke.
“I made some comments on the Aspinall fight and how he handled the situation with the foul, and I think my opinion still stands,” Sterling stated firmly. “When Tommy got poked in the eye, the first thing that he said was, ‘I cannot see.’ And we all know when you are fouled, you cannot say those words. Otherwise, the ref is inclined to stop the fight because that is just the way the rules are.”
Sterling suggested Aspinall could have approached the situation differently, while acknowledging the natural reaction to such an injury. “Of course, it’s a natural reaction. You get poked and you go, ‘Oh, I can’t see.’ But we’re professionals. We’ve been here before. We’ve seen multiple fights like this.”
The former champion’s comments come with a layer of personal context. Many fans drew parallels to Sterling’s own controversial victory over Petr Yan by disqualification after receiving an illegal knee, with some critics suggesting he exaggerated the injury’s severity.
Sterling addressed this comparison directly: “Yeah, you could say you don’t like the messenger because I’ve been fouled and you guys think that I milked the injury.”
Despite his criticism, Sterling clarified he wasn’t questioning Aspinall’s character: “I’ve never questioned Tommy’s integrity. I’ve never questioned any fighter’s integrity. But I do like to make fun of certain situations because I’ve gotten a very unfair share of flack from a lot of fans.”
He also offered some empathy for Aspinall’s predicament: “I completely get where Tommy’s coming from. You can’t fight compromised like that. And thankfully, Tom was smart enough to understand I can’t win a fight like this against a guy like this.”
The situation highlights the ongoing debate within combat sports about fighter safety, rule enforcement, and the complex decisions athletes must make in the moment following an injury or foul.
