Srinagar: UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is reportedly suffering from severe vision problems following the accidental eye poke that ended his title fight against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321.
The highly anticipated bout in Abu Dhabi ended in controversy last Saturday when Gane unintentionally poked both of Aspinall’s eyes during the first round. The incident forced the referee to halt the contest, resulting in the first no-contest in UFC title fight history.
Aspinall (15–3) was immediately taken to the hospital for evaluation, and now, a troubling update has emerged from his father and head coach, Andy Aspinall.
“It’s not good,” Andy said in a video on Tom’s official YouTube channel. “His right eye — he can’t see anything. It’s just gray. They tested him on words, and he just couldn’t see anything. His left eye is about 50%. One is really blurry — and one is not working.”
Andy confirmed to ESPN that while no bone damage was found, Tom’s medical team is conducting further tests to assess potential long-term impact.
A visibly emotional Aspinall left the Octagon without speaking to the media following the no-contest ruling. The UFC, meanwhile, plans to reschedule the heavyweight clash once the champion fully recovers, according to CEO Dana White.
However, Andy remains cautiously hopeful about his son’s recovery.
“Hopefully, it will be all right,” he said. “But it might not be.”
For now, the MMA world awaits further updates as the reigning heavyweight champion faces what could be the toughest fight of his career — the battle to regain his full vision.
