ABU DHABI: Former UFC interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier has shared his thoughts on Tom Aspinall’s controversial eye poke incident that led to the UFC 321 heavyweight title bout against Ciryl Gane ending in a no-contest.
The highly anticipated first undisputed title defence for Aspinall took a shocking turn on Saturday night at the Etihad Arena, when an accidental eye poke forced the fight to a premature halt with 25 seconds left in the opening round.
Aspinall, who was aiming to solidify his reign as heavyweight champion, was visibly in pain after the incident and told officials he could not see from one eye. The referee immediately stopped the contest, declaring it a no-contest, much to the dismay of the Abu Dhabi crowd.
“Guys, I just got poked knuckle deep in the eyeball — why are you booing?” a frustrated Aspinall said in the Octagon post-fight. “This is bulls***. The fight was just getting going. I can hardly open my eye.”
Weighing in on the controversy, Dustin Poirier said that while only Aspinall truly knows the extent of the damage, he personally has fought through similar injuries before.
“A lot of people are asking me, ‘What’s up with Aspinall? What’s up with the eye poke?’ I don’t know — only he knows how bad it was,” Poirier said. “But I’ve been in a lot of fights where I got eye poked and continued.”
Poirier’s comments have stirred debate among fans, with some sympathizing with Aspinall’s situation, while others argue that championship fighters should be prepared to push through adversity.
Following the fight, Aspinall was taken to a hospital in Abu Dhabi for immediate medical evaluation. Preliminary reports confirmed no permanent damage, but doctors advised him to undergo further tests upon returning to England to assess potential retinal or corneal injuries.
Despite the anticlimactic ending, UFC President Dana White has hinted at a possible immediate rematch between Aspinall and Gane once the champion fully recovers.
