Tom Aspinall shares raw look at aftermath of fight-ending UFC 321 eye poke

With the MMA world still processing a disappointing end to last weekend’s UFC 321 main event, Tom Aspinall has shared an unfiltered look at how things played out immediately following the fight.

Taking place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE, UFC 321 was headlined by one of the most highly-anticipated fights of the entire year, with Aspinall finally set to step into the cage and defend the UFC’s heavyweight strap against Ciryl Gane after being promoted to undisputed champion.

It looked as if Aspinall might be headed to a second round for just the second time in his UFC career as time wound down in the first round, but with less than 30 seconds left an inadvertent eye poke from Gane rendered the champion unable to continue and forced the fight to be called off.

Tom Aspinall Shares Unfiltered Look At UFC 321 Aftermath

An unfortunate end to a massive fight has unsurprisingly generated a wide range of opinions from fans, and Aspinall himself took to social media the day after the event to share an unfiltered look at the immediate aftermath of the eye poke.

As noted by Aspinall when he was backstage, Gane actually managed to poke both of his eyes during the sequence that ultimately ended the fight.

The champion’s right eye clearly got the worst of it, and there was a lengthy period in the cage where Aspinall tried to recover and was attended to by the cageside doctor before referee Jason Herzog finally called things off.

Jon Jones Stills Looms Over Heavyweight Division

The fight was obviously not how Aspinall wanted or expected to kick off his title reign, especially given that he was only promoted to undisputed champion after Jon Jones decided to retire and subsequently vacated his heavyweight belt during the summer.

Jon Jones (red gloves) reacts after defeating Stipe Miocic (not pictured) in the heavyweight bout during UFC 309. — Jon Jones (red gloves) reacts after defeating Stipe Miocic (not pictured) in the heavyweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Despite months of fan demand for what would have arguably been the biggest UFC fight of all time, Jones remained staunchly opposed to the idea of a title unification bout with Aspinall during his reign as heavyweight champion.

“Bones” made his long-awaited heavyweight debut at UFC 285 and submitted Gane to win the division’s vacant belt, and he defeated Stipe Miocic in a rebooked fight at UFC 309 that served as his lone title defense before the 38-year-old decided to retire.

Tom Aspinall (red gloves) reacts to defeating Marcin Tybura (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena. | Per Haljestam-Imagn Images

Aspinall successful defended his interim belt in a rematch with Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 before Jones and Miocic met in November. The UFC will presumably try to rebook the fight with Gane as soon as possible, but until then the shadow of Jones will continue to hang over the heavyweight division and Aspinall’s championship reign.

More MMA Knockout News

• Only fighter to defeat UFC Champion Kayla Harrison could rejoin UFC after PFL release

• MMA fighter seals 30-second KO with brutal strike to unconscious opponent

• Dustin Poirier says retirement after UFC has been difficult for him

• UFC heavyweight continues record-setting win streak with quick finish at UFC 321

Stick with MMAKnockout for more FREE coverage of the UFC and MMA.

Follow MMAKnockout on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.