Tom Aspinall is once again drawing criticism, this time from outspoken former middleweight titleholder Sean Strickland. Back in October at UFC 321, Aspinall entered his first title defense against Ciryl Gane with massive expectations. Fans and UFC officials expected a statement win that would solidify his position atop the heavyweight division. Instead, though, the fight spiraled into chaos just 15 seconds after the opening bell.

An “unintentional” double eye poke forced Tom Aspinall to stop the fight, and officials ruled the bout a no-contest. As a result, the controversial finish pushed the heavyweight division into uncertainty and frustrated fans, along with Dana White. Soon after, critics began questioning Aspinall’s decision to halt the fight, especially since Gane appeared to gain the early upper hand. Now, Sean Strickland has stepped into the debate.

Sean Strickland raises eyebrows over Tom Aspinall’s eye injury

After nearly a year away from the Octagon, Sean Strickland is preparing for his comeback next February at UFC Houston. Strickland has already returned to fight camp and recently teamed up with streamer Adin Ross. Here, they discussed Tom Aspinall as well as the controversial eye poke at UFC 321.

During the conversation, Ross asked Strickland whether he thought Aspinall was a good fighter. Strickland shook his head firmly. Ross then brought up Aspinall’s eye poke injury at UFC 321, and that was enough to send Strickland off.

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“Aspinall sucks, dude. He took the easy way out,” Strickland remarked, taking aim at the British heavyweight’s approach to the fight. He then reflected on his own grueling bout against Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Vegas 67 in 2023, where he fought through the full five rounds to secure the win. “You should have seen when I fought Nassourdine… Bro, my eye was like… I looked like 28 Days Later,” he stated.

Although Strickland remains skeptical of Tom Aspinall’s eye injury, doctors in Abu Dhabi, following his initial examination, did not consider the damage to be serious. They did, however, recommend further testing to evaluate the injury more thoroughly.

Earlier this month, Aspinall posted a video on Instagram revealing that the eye poke from Ciryl Gane had been diagnosed as “bilateral traumatic Brown syndrome.” He stressed that he may not return to the Octagon until he has fully recovered and added that the injury could potentially require surgery.

Aspinall lashes out at Gane following controversial remarks

Amid growing criticism from across the MMA world, Tom Aspinall has placed the blame squarely on Ciryl Gane, accusing him of derailing his career through the injury. Following the no contest ruling, Aspinall faced significant backlash for not continuing the fight, with the British heavyweight reportedly booed by the entire Etihad Arena on the night.

In the aftermath, Tom Aspinall weighed in by attempting to highlight the seriousness of eye injuries, at one point covering his own eye with a piece of cloth. He later admitted that his vision was severely compromised after his bout. Despite the controversy, UFC CEO Dana White has since given the green light for a potential rematch between Ciryl Gane and Tom Aspinall. However, no date has been finalized, as Aspinall’s eye condition is said to be worse than initially expected.

Earlier this week, Ciryl Gane shared a series of videos and photos on Instagram, writing, “Still no date or opponent yet… but we keep grinding and training hard before the holidays with my man.”

Aspinall did not hold back in response, firing off an X-rated message.

“No s*** there’s not a date yet. I’m not medically cleared to fight and about to have surgery thanks to your disgusting fingernails. I’ll be back to smash your face in soon you cheat,” Aspinall wrote, as reported by TNT Sports UFC.

For the time being, Tom Aspinall’s future in the heavyweight division remains uncertain. With no clear timeline for his return, questions linger over how long he can retain the belt without stepping back into the Octagon.