Tom Aspinall’s first undisputed UFC heavyweight title defense ended not with a knockout or submission, but with panic and disbelief. Just over four minutes into Round 1 of UFC 321, Ciryl Gane’s accidental double eye poke sent the British champion reeling. He tried to recover during the five-minute window, but the world in front of him turned gray. Moments later, referee Jason Herzog waved it off, the first no-contest in UFC title fight history.

Days later, Aspinall’s silence spoke louder than any press conference could. The 32-year-old is still recovering, both physically and emotionally. Reports revealed that his vision hadn’t fully returned. For a man whose life depends on seeing danger coming, that’s a terrifying reality, and now, his father has finally spoken up.

In a video shared by the British powerhouse on his Instagram account, Andy Aspinall, the man who’s been in his son’s corner since the beginning, shared, “I’m just bothered that my kid’s got a job that he likes and he wants to do it and he’s been fouled in a contest. The guy who fouled him, no consequence to him and now there’s a consequence to Tom and hopefully it’ll be alright but it might not be.”

It was a father’s raw frustration laid bare for the world to see. This wasn’t about Gane’s intent, but about fairness. In the Octagon, one man walked away unharmed; the other, half-blind. For Andy, that imbalance demanded more than a rematch; it called for responsibility. Tom Aspinall’s response was short but heartfelt. He captioned it simply: “My Dad” followed by a heart emoji. No statements, no excuses, just quiet acknowledgment.

The UFC, meanwhile, is already planning a rematch. Dana White has confirmed that the fight between Aspinall and Gane will be rebooked. But when? That depends on whether the champion’s vision fully recovers. As per reports, doctors have ruled out bone damage, but the visual impairment remains, and the long-term outlook is unclear.

As Andy Aspinall shared, “His eye is a little bit more closed than it was. His right eye, he can’t see anything – it’s just gray. (A second eye doctor) tested him on words and he just couldn’t see anything. His left eye is 50 percent. It went about four letters (down the chart), and then he couldn’t see letters. So one is really, really blurry and one is not working.”

And beyond the family’s anguish, there’s another layer, public scrutiny. Online critics have questioned Tom Aspinall’s decision not to continue fighting that night, calling it exaggerated or cowardly. However, a UFC veteran has now come out strongly in support of the British champion!

Matt Brown tells Tom Aspinall’s critics to ‘get the f— out of here’ as he backs his decision at UFC 321

That veteran is none other than Matt Brown, one of the sport’s most battle-tested welterweights. On The Fighter vs. The Writer podcast, Brown made it clear he wasn’t having any of the hate directed toward Tom Aspinall after UFC 321.

‘The Immortal’ fired off with, “Where did this come from? How did he do anything wrong? People saying ‘oh should have just sucked it up with one eye.’ Get the f— out of here. What are you talking about? We’re not in a death match. This isn’t f–  like Street Fighter. It’s not a video game. This is a professional competition. He wants to win and give himself the best chance of winning.”

His frustration wasn’t misplaced. After all, Aspinall didn’t ask for an early ending; he simply couldn’t see. Yet, much like Aljamain Sterling after his infamous illegal-knee win over Petr Yan or Belal Muhammad following his eye poke against Leon Edwards, Aspinall has found himself in a familiar UFC storm. Fans demand warriors who fight through anything, but at what cost?

Brown believes the heavyweight made the only rational choice as he further shared, “What sucks is he’s almost in a lose-lose situation at that point, the only saving grace would have been if went out with one eye and ended up beating the sh– out of Ciryl Gane. If any other situation happens, it’s a loss for him. [If] he lost, they’re not going to be talking about him getting eye poked and couldn’t see, and that’s why he lost.”

The irony? Those who’ve faced similar backlash, Sterling and Muhammad, both went on to defeat their opponents in rematches. For Tom Aspinall, the road ahead is uncertain, but one thing is clear: he’s earned more respect than criticism. The champion didn’t quit; he survived a moment that could’ve ended far worse. His father’s plea for fairness and Matt Brown’s defense of his integrity both echo the same truth: this wasn’t weakness, it was wisdom.