“Look, look, look! F–ing poke. Both eyeballs,” said Tom Aspinall after getting poked in the eye by Ciryl Gane, preventing him from continuing their bout. Needless to say, UFC CEO Dana White was not happy with the way the main event ended at UFC 321, calling it a “sh–y ending.” Meanwhile, Aljamain Sterling, who has been fouled many a time in his UFC career, weighed in on the situation, and in fact he believes that Aspinall made a slight mistake.

Hours after the poke, Aspinall shared a video on his YouTube channel where he was seen getting medical attention in Abu Dhabi. Some questioned whether the video was a bid to justify the negativity he was subjected to online after pulling out of the fight. However, Sterling claimed that he could have avoided the negativity altogether if he hadn’t said what he did to the referee during the closing stages of the bout.

Aljamain Sterling claims Tom Aspinall may have made a mistake

As established above, Sterling has been fouled repeatedly in the past, especially when he won the bantamweight title after eating an illegal knee from Petr Yan back in 2021. He’s also well aware that fans may not want to listen explanations, since some believe that he exaggerated the injury, causing the referee to disqualify Yan. “Yeah, you could say you don’t like the messenger because I’ve been fouled, and you guys think that I milked the injury. I did not,” Sterling said on his YouTube channel.

But when it comes to Tom Aspinall, Sterling believes he should not have said to the referee, Jason Herzog, that he could not continue the fight. Why? Well, the rules state the official must call off the fight if fighters find themselves in such situations. Nevertheless, ‘Funk Master’ appears to have no qualms with the heavyweight champion for deciding not to continue because eye pokes can be really dangerous.

“When Tommy got poked in the eye, the first thing that he said was, ‘I cannot see.’ And we all know when you are fouled, you cannot say those words, otherwise the ref is inclined to stop the fight because that is just the way the rules are written,” Sterling continued. “I agree that Tommy was egregiously poked in the eye, and it had some effect on him, and it wasn’t cool… But nothing could be done at that point. But with that said, I think he should have handled the situation differently, and I think everybody will agree with that.”

Eye pokes are recurring issues in the UFC. While faults in the glove design and how the UFC has other gloves at its disposal are frequent talking points, Aljamain Sterling claims that professional fighters should handle such situations with caution to avoid a no-contest decision or a premature stoppage. “We’re professionals. We’ve been here before. We’ve seen multiple fights like this. So, we gotta handle it as best as we could,” Sterling added.

Well, it appears that the former bantamweight champion isn’t opposed to Tom Aspinall’s move to end the fight, much like some fans who are angry at Cyril Gane. Meanwhile, a clip of Jon Jones has been going viral, where he claimed that the English star tends to give up when things get difficult.

Jon Jones calls out Aspinall for giving up

During a recent interview, Jon Jones referenced one of Tom Aspinall’s early fights, where he faced his first defeat. It was against Stuart Austin under the BAMMA banner, where the reigning UFC heavyweight champion lost via a heel hook. Jones believed that Aspinall showcased no defensive technique and gave up after getting caught in the submission. In contrast, ‘Bones’ mentioned his experience of getting caught in an arm bar and was literally ready to get hurt instead of giving up.

“He was taken down, and the guy twisted his ankle, and he had no defense, and he tapped so quickly,” Jon Jones told Geoffrey Woo. “I had a fight where I got armbar’d, and I was literally willing to let someone break my arm before giving up. With Tom, the moment he felt any pressure on his ankle, he tapped immediately, which lets me know a lot about him.”

So was did Aspinall make the right move? Opinions have clearly differed. Regardless, Dana White has revealed his intentions to set up a rematch with Ciryl Gane, and it will be interesting to see how things pan out for the English star. Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.