UFC heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall couldn’t hide his frustration after fans at UFC 321 booed following the premature ending of his highly anticipated bout against Ciryl Gane.
According to video footage, the championship match came to an abrupt halt after Aspinall suffered a double eye poke, forcing referee Jason Herzog to stop the contest. The match was officially declared a no contest due to an accidental foul, but the audience at Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena expressed their disappointment with boos. This reaction visibly angered the British champion.
“Guys, I just got poked knuckle deep in the eyeball,” Aspinall said during his post-fight interview with UFC legend Daniel Cormier. “Why are you booing? What am I supposed to do about it? I didn’t do the poke. I can’t see.”
The frustration was evident as Aspinall continued, “This is nonsense. The fight was just getting going. Complete nonsense. I’m upset.”
During the interview, Aspinall demonstrated the severity of the injury, showing both eyes had been affected. “Look at this here, look at this. Double poke, both eyeballs,” he explained while pointing to his visibly irritated eyes.
Medical staff examined Aspinall thoroughly before determining he couldn’t continue. When asked about his vision, the champion admitted, “I can hardly open my eye.”
Gane, for his part, expressed remorse over the incident. “I’m very sorry about that, for the crowd, for the fans, for everybody. Sorry for Tom Aspinall, sorry for myself,” the French fighter stated after the bout.
He later added, “I’m a bit disappointed with the outcome of the fight… also because of the way the fight was going, because of the future.”
Before the unfortunate ending, Gane had been performing well, working effectively behind his jab and throwing inside leg kicks that forced Aspinall to retreat. The champion had attempted a takedown late in the first round, which Gane successfully defended before the accidental eye poke occurred.
Following the event, UFC CEO Dana White confirmed that Aspinall was transported to a hospital for medical evaluation. White also indicated that the organization plans to reschedule the heavyweight clash, saying, “A total pain in the rear, but yes [I’d like to do the rematch].”
Despite the disappointing conclusion to the main event, UFC 321 delivered other notable moments, including Mackenzie Dern capturing the women’s strawweight championship with a unanimous decision victory over Virna Jandiroba in the co-main event.
