It’s one of those classic situations. More than the catalyst of the calamity, it’s the onlookers standing on the sidelines who have the most to say. That’s the situation Tom Aspinall currently finds himself in. Despite the support of a few well-wishers, the unceremonious ending of the much-hyped title defense at UFC 321 has made the English heavyweight a target of widespread criticism. His opponent, Ciryl Gane, closed the discussion with remorse. But it looks like the potshots aimed at Aspinall aren’t going to stop anytime soon.

Among Tom Aspinall‘s detractors, there’s a new name, Valter Walker, the heavyweight contender and younger half-brother of light heavyweight fighter Johnny Walker. In an interview, the Brazilian fighting out of Moscow, who incidentally competed on the Aspinall-Gane card, claimed that by discontinuing the headliner, the recently crowned undisputed champion had brought nothing but infamy to the UFC’s premier weight class.

Tom Aspinall faces heat from rising heavyweight Valter Walker

Walker was scathing in his review when James Lynch asked for his thoughts on the Aspinall-Gane bout. “This makes me a little bit upset,” he said, adding, “because this is our division; this is our profession. Like, he makes it look like bad heavyweights.” His displeasure was easy to understand.

According to the Rio de Janeiro-born fighter, heavyweights are the biggest and strongest athletes in the sport. So one should gather themselves and fight, even after a brief setback. Instead, Tom Aspinall took a five-minute break following the eye poke and then pulled out of the fight, Walker emphasized. “He’ll make us heavyweights look bad, you know,” he insisted.

Drawing an analogy with Roman gladiators, who faced certain death in their battles, Walker argued that such danger doesn’t exist in modern-day fighting. There are people around to intervene in case of serious harm. He then highlighted how he continued to fight despite breaking his left fibula during his bout against Louis Sutherland at UFC 321.

“But this guy has a poke in the eye and pulls out of the fight like he makes you look bad,” Valter Walker concluded.

Despite backlash, Aspinall finds backing

According to the heavyweight contender, who has been on a four-fight winning streak, all by heel hook, Tom Aspinall’s inability to take risks may have cast a shadow over the entire division. However, a few disagree with that contention.

Known for his blunt takes, MMA legend Matt Brown argued that the poke deserved a penalty, accidental or not. Making his stance clear, in contrast to Valter Walker’s, Brown told Ariel Helwani, “I think that, like, if there’s a rule and you break it, like, you should be penalized. That’s all; do it.”

“Like, like, Tom should not be expected to fight with one eye. I think that’s kind of ridiculous,” he added, questioning the design of the new gloves as well.

Perhaps Ciryl Gane’s own reflection offers the most balanced perspective. “I was at first angry because I didn’t want him to stop the fight, then disappointed, sad, and apologetic for the people.” Fans were expecting a big showdown between two top heavyweights.

Instead, they got a whimper. It might be best to put the incident on the back burner and look ahead. A rematch between Aspinall and Gane would be most welcome. Even if reluctantly, Dana White acknowledged the situation as well. Perhaps when Aspinall and Gane dance one more time, fans will finally get to see whether the aspersions cast on the Englishman were justified or misplaced.

What’s your take? Should Tom Aspinall have continued despite the eye poke?