In the lead-up to his first title defense against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321, Tom Aspinall lightheartedly predicted how things might go inside the Octagon. “We’re going for a five-round split decision, close fight, win. The crowd will be booing after a couple of minutes, and just maintain that slow pace for five rounds. That’s what we’re going for,” the Briton joked. But when fight night arrived at the Etihad Arena, reality played out in a far harsher way.

The British heavyweight’s dream of a five-round battle never materialized; only the part about the “booing” came true. The card delivered nonstop action from the prelims through the co-main event, building massive anticipation for the heavyweight title clash. Fans expected a violent back-and-forth between two of the division’s most talented strikers. Instead, the heavyweight title fight got cut off in the very first round after a double eye poke left Tom Aspinall unable to continue. The no-contest result stunned the Abu Dhabi crowd, who had waited all night for the showdown. Their excitement quickly turned to frustration as the main event ended before it began.

After the fight, though, the UFC commentator Daniel Cormier defended Tom Aspinall on social media, saying, “I saw Tom Aspinall. His right eye is covered in a bandage because he cannot open it, still. We’re 20 minutes past the fight ending. And what’s crazy about that is his other eye was the one where his hand went knuckle deep. The right side was scraped down more. The left side was the one that went knuckle deep and really would have been hard to deal with if not for the pain he was feeling on the other side. Tom was very upset that people were booing, and then people saw the replay and were like, ‘Wait, a minute. Maybe we should be booing the other guy.’”

However, MMA fans across social media showed little sympathy. Many dismissed Cormier’s defense and continued to criticize Tom Aspinall for how the fight ended. The same heavyweight once praised by analysts as the man Jon Jones was “ducking” suddenly became the target of online backlash. The Briton, who had long expressed his desire to face Jones and was seen as a legitimate threat to the former champion, watched his momentum take a sharp downturn.

Daniel Cormier’s words fail to shield Tom Aspinall from fan criticism after UFC 321

Eye pokes are nothing new in MMA, especially in the UFC, which has a long and sometimes brutal history with them. Remember the rematch between Fabrício Werdum and Travis Browne? During that fight, Werdum suffered one of the most severe eye pokes of his career, with the strike penetrating the Brazilian’s eye socket. Despite the injury, he fought through all the rounds and earned a decision victory.

Last night, fans had expected similar resilience from Tom Aspinall, but he was unable to match that level of grit. One fan commented, “He wanted a way out after his nose got busted and it came in the form of an eye poke,” suggesting Aspinall was seeking an escape after Ciryl Gane opened a cut on his nose early in the bout. Another echoed the sentiment: “No shit, he’s gonna fake it as long as he can. An eye patch doesn’t need a doctor’s prescription, so I ain’t buying it.”

Even UFC veteran Daniel Cormier has firsthand experience with the dangers of eye pokes. During his trilogy fight against Stipe Miocic at UFC 252, Cormier suffered a poke to his left eye, resulting in a torn cornea—an injury that left a lasting impact on his MMA career. A fan recalled, “This is saying a lot from DC given his last fight; he fought with 1 eye against Stipe.” Another added, “DC fought through this. Tom’s soft.” Michael Bisping also endured severe eye damage during his fighting career, underscoring just how dangerous these strikes can be.

In Tom Aspinall’s case, camera footage showed his right eye appeared less damaged, while the left looked significantly affected after Gane’s strike. Yet, Cormier stated that Aspinall had a bandage over his right eye. One fan questioned the inconsistency: “So the right eye hurt more but left is definitely more injured. He went deep like a lobotomy needle in there.” Another commented, “Tom Aspinall and his fans’ logic: if you get poked in the left, you can’t see out of your right.”

Despite ongoing debate over whether Tom Aspinall genuinely got injured or exaggerated, the fight’s reality is simple. UFC CEO Dana White has confirmed that a rematch is on the horizon. Still, many fans remain convinced that the Briton quit against Ciryl Gane, pointing to the early exposure he suffered: “He definitely wanted a way out. How does he get poked in both eyes, but only 1 ‘bothers’ him? That b*stard really said he couldn’t see…”

What’s your take on the fan reaction? Is it fair to criticize a fighter after suffering a setback from an illegal move by their opponent? Share your thoughts below.