Former UFC star rips “casual MMA fans” for criticizing Tom Aspinall after UFC 321

Formerly top-ranked UFC flyweight Muhammad Mokaev isn’t impressed by the way some fans have reacted to the UFC 321 main event between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane.

Following a co-main event where Mackenzie Dern claimed the vacant strawweight title when she took a unanimous decision over Virna Jandiroba, the main event of UFC 321 saw Aspinall step into the cage for his first undisputed heavyweight title defense against former interim titleholder Gane.

The fight was shaping up well as the final round neared its conclusion, but things unfortunately ended in disappointing fashion when Aspinall was accidentally poked in the eye by Gane and the matchup had to be waved off.

Muhammad Mokaev Defends Tom Aspinall After No Contest

Joining the wide-ranging discourse on the eye poke in the days following UFC 321, undefeated MMA fighter Mokaev went after fans for suggesting that Aspinall may have taken the easy way out in Abu Dhabi.

To casual mma fans :

Imagine training your whole life to fight and fans say you’re “scared” because you got poked in the eye and you’re looking way to get out of the cage.
No MMA fighter who’s scared of another man would ever step into that cage. Simple
— Muhammad Mokaev (@muhammadmokaev) October 27, 2025

“To casual mma fans : Imagine training your whole life to fight and fans say you’re “scared” because you got poked in the eye and you’re looking way to get out of the cage. No MMA fighter who’s scared of another man would ever step into that cage. Simple”

Tom Aspinall (blue gloves) reacts to beating Sergei Pavlovich (red gloves) during UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden. | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Unbeaten in his UFC career outside of a 15-second injury loss to Curtis Blaydes at UFC London in 2022, Aspinall was lined as a sizeable favorite to defend his belt against Gane at UFC 321. The 32-year-old previously defended the interim heavyweight belt in a rematch with Blaydes at UFC 304, and he was promoted to undisputed champion over the summer when Jon Jones retired and vacated the heavyweight title.

Will "The Punisher" Return To The UFC?

The UFC will presumably try to rebook the Aspinall vs. Gane title bout as soon as possible, and Mokaev is also set to fight for a belt in his next outing when he takes on Gerard Burnes at BRAVE CF 100 on November 7.

A perfect 14-0 as a professional MMA fighter following a 23-0 amateur career, Mokaev arrived in the UFC in 2022 and submitted Cody Durden in just 58 seconds to claim both a “Performance of the Night” bonus as well as his first UFC victory. The 25-year-old put himself in line for a flyweight title shot when he defeated Manel Kape at UFC 304, but Mokaev’s contract with the promotion was surprisingly not renewed following that event.

Muhammad Mokaev (red gloves) celebrates after defeating Jafel Filho (not pictured) during UFC 286 at O2 Arena. | Per Haljestam-Imagn Images

“The Punisher” returned to Bahrain’s BRAVE CF and made short work of Joevincent So last December before he also defeated Thomas Assis at 971 FC 2 in June. Now set to fight for gold at BRAVE CF 100, many fans are curious to see if a third post-UFC win might be enough to earn Mokaev a call back to the Octagon.

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