Tom Aspinall’s heavyweight title defense at UFC 321 ended in chaos after Ciryl Gane accidentally poked him in both eyes late in the first round.
The fight was declared a no-contest as Aspinall struggled with his vision, prompting referee Jason Herzog to stop the bout.
Daniel Cormier, who interviewed both fighters post-fight, revealed that Aspinall’s condition was visibly severe backstage, moments before the reigning champion was rushed to a local hospital for treatment.
“I saw Tom Aspinall; his right eye is covered in a bandage because he cannot open it still,” Cormier said. “We’re 20 minutes past the fight ending.”
Added Cormier: “What’s crazy about that is his other eye was the one where his [Gane’s] hand went knuckle deep. The right side was scraped down more. The left side was the one that went knuckle deep and really would have been hard to deal with, if not for the pain he was feeling on the other side.”
During the post-fight interviews, a frustrated Aspinall had lashed out inside the Octagon after the stoppage, swearing at the crowd for jeering him.
“Guys, I just got poked knuckle-deep in the eyeball. What the [expletive]? Why are you booing?” Aspinall said. “What am I supposed to do about it? I didn’t do the [expletive] poke. I can’t see.”
Cormier also discussed Aspinall appearing distraught over the crowd’s reaction.
“Tom was very upset that people were booing,” Cormier said. “Then people saw the replay and were like, ‘Maybe we should be booing the other guy,’ then they booed Ciryl Gane.”
Later in the evening, Dana White pretty much confirmed he plans to rebook the bout once Aspinall’s medical results are known.
“Total pain in the [expletive], but yes,” White said about the rematch. “They’re both in shape. Other than whatever’s wrong with his eye, both guys are not injured, so as soon as possible.”
