Tom Aspinall Breaks Silence on ‘Knuckle-Deep’ Eye Injury and Fake Friends After UFC 321 Disaster

If you were glued to your screen for UFC 321 back in October, expecting a heavyweight clash for the ages, you probably ended up throwing your remote across the room. We all felt that collective groan when the main event between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane fizzled out before the first round even wrapped. It wasn’t a knockout, it wasn’t a submission—it was a finger to the eye. Actually, make that two fingers.

Since that chaotic night in Abu Dhabi, things have been relatively quiet on the champ’s front. But now, Aspinall is finally opening up about the gruesome reality of his injury, the surgeries required to fix it, and the surprising amount of shade thrown his way by people he thought were in his corner.

The Medical Reality: It’s Worse Than We Thought

Let’s be honest, eye pokes are the absolute bane of MMA. We usually see a fighter blink it off, take five minutes, and get back to swinging. But Aspinall didn’t have that luxury. The Brit recently dropped a medical update that would make anyone squeamish. He’s been diagnosed with “significant bilateral Brown’s syndrome.”

In plain English? His eyes literally can’t move upwards properly.

Aspinall revealed on his YouTube channel that the damage was severe enough to require multiple surgeries. He’s already gone under the knife for one eye, with the second procedure scheduled for mid-January. “We’re working towards getting back,” Aspinall stated, but he also made it clear he isn’t doing anything MMA-related right now. He is strictly following doctor’s orders. It’s a terrifying spot for a fighter in his prime, essentially grounded by a stray finger that went, in his words, “knuckle-deep.”

When the “Friends” Fade Away

The physical pain is one thing, but the social fallout seems to have stung Aspinall just as much. In the world of combat sports, fans are fickle. One minute you’re the GOAT, the next you’re a bum because you couldn’t fight blind. But Aspinall wasn’t just dealing with Twitter trolls; he was dealing with betrayal closer to home.

In a candid moment with One on One MMA, Aspinall got real about the aftermath. “People turn on you really quick, you know?” he said. He noted that people he considered friends started airing their opinions publicly, criticizing him for the fight being waved off.

It’s a brutal reminder of the dark side of success. When you’re holding the gold, everyone wants a piece of the pie. When you’re sitting in a doctor’s office with an eye patch, the room clears out fast. Aspinall seems to be taking it in stride, realizing that maybe those people weren’t really his friends to begin with, but you can feel the frustration in his comments. It’s hard enough rehabilitating a career-threatening injury without your inner circle turning into armchair critics.

The “Accidental” Foul Debate

Then there is the Ciryl Gane factor. The referee, Jason Herzog, ruled the eye poke accidental, which saved Gane from a disqualification loss. Aspinall isn’t buying it.

His logic is pretty sound: fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, how is that still an accident? Aspinall argued that while one foul can be a mistake, a second one should force the referee to take action. “I’ve never accidentally done something in a fight,” Aspinall said, clearly still fuming. “If they do it twice, pause… the other person’s allowed a foul as well.”

It’s a valid point. If you kick a guy low twice, you usually lose a point. Turn a guy’s eye socket into a bowling ball grip twice? Apparently, that’s just a “No Contest.”

Dana White’s Awkward Commentary

To add insult to injury, UFC boss Dana White didn’t exactly rush to Aspinall’s defense immediately after the fight. In typical promoter fashion, White insinuated at the press conference that Aspinall “didn’t want” to continue fighting.

When a guy says his vision is gone, questioning his heart feels a little below the belt. Aspinall expressed his disappointment in those comments, leading White to eventually clarify that he “wasn’t saying anything negative” and blamed the media for taking things out of context. Classic clean-up duty.

What Lies Ahead

For now, the heavyweight division is in a weird limbo. Aspinall is focused on his January surgery and recovery. He still wants to run it back with Gane to erase the memory of that disastrous October night, but everything hinges on his health.

Here’s hoping the champ heals up. The heavyweight division is a lot more fun when Aspinall is knocking people out rather than fighting off surgeons and fair-weather friends.