A heavyweight title fight that promised fireworks ended in frustration, and now, months later, UFC commentator Joe Rogan is labeling the controversial stoppage a ‘crime in the sport’. The Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane bout at UFC 321 ended in a no-contest after Gane accidentally poked Aspinall in the eye, leaving the champion unable to continue.

What infuriated many fans even more was that the battle had only just begun to reveal how the matchup might actually play out. Speaking on his podcast with guest Dustin Poirier, Joe Rogan stated that the stoppage was one of the most frustrating moments in modern MMA since the fight was heading in a direction people hadn’t really seen from Tom Aspinall before.

“It is a crime in the sport that that fight with Aspinall got stopped the way it did,” Joe Rogan said. “It’s a crime because that fight was playing out in a very interesting direction. Aspinall was having a really hard time touching that guy.

“He was getting busted up, getting touched up a lot. Ciryl’s jab is legit.”

Dustin Poirier agreed, saying the matchup was interesting because the heavyweight champion finally seemed to be facing true adversity inside the cage. He noted that Aspinall hasn’t had many tough fights in the UFC; thus, the early moments versus Ciryl Gane felt distinctly different from his previous wins.

“That’s what I was most excited for,” Poirier said. “I wanted to see Tom have to come back, lose a round, and come back.

“I’ve never seen him in a real fight where you have to fight your way back into it.”

Joe Rogan said that the stand-up exchanges were already revealing a side of the fight that fans hadn’t seen before, particularly Gane’s speed and technique at heavyweight. According to him, Aspinall’s biggest advantage was expected to come from grappling, but the bout never went long enough to get there.

“(Tom Aspinall is) a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt,” the UFC commentator added. “He’s a big f—–. He’s fast. He’s got a power double. I mean, he explodes.

“But when he’s standing there and trying to stand with Cyril Gane, this is the first time that he was ever in front of a guy who was agile and quick and very technical.”

He stated that Gane’s movement, jab, and timing were making things difficult, so the early stoppage felt like a wasted opportunity to see how the champion would react.

The no-contest left both fighters without closure, and Tom Aspinall has since been dealing with eye issues that have forced him to undergo surgery, making his return unlikely for a while now. And to make matters worse, his recent deal with Eddie Hearn now has many believing that the Briton might already be on his way out of the company.

Jon Jones’ ex-manager criticizes Tom Aspinall’s partnership with Eddie Hearn

While Aspinall is still recovering from the eye injury that stopped the Gane fight, he has made news again after announcing a deal with boxing promoter Eddie Hearn. The move startled many, particularly given the growing tension between the UFC and the boxing world, and it soon sparked speculation about what it would mean for the heavyweight champion’s future.

Former Jon Jones manager Malki Kawa reacted on social media and made it clear he doesn’t expect the deal to end well. Kawa, who managed ‘Bones’ through many contract disputes with the UFC, suggested that dealing with Hearn could prove to be really problematic for Tom Aspinall.

“Sigh… as if I’m not the only promoter, manager AND NFL agent in the business,” Kawa wrote. “Eddie is a dork looking for a headline. Tom is gone by end of year.”

Tom Aspinall claimed he teamed up with Eddie Hearn to make the most of his position in combat sports, but the timing has raised serious questions. With his return still uncertain after surgery and his name now involved in talks outside of the UFC, the criticism has just added to the feeling that his future with the promotion isn’t as clear as it once appeared.