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Tom Aspinall’s return to the Octagon in Abu Dhabi did not go as planned on Saturday night when his fight with Ciryl Gane ended quickly after an accidental poke to the eye.
In fact, Gane hit both of Aspinall’s eyes late in the first round, ultimately leading to a no-contest in the night’s main event.
But Aspinall said he could not continue the fight, prompting boos from the crowd and widespread debate from fans and pundits alike, including former UFC fighter and current ESPN analyst Chael Sonnen.
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Britain’s Tom Aspinall reacts after being hit in the eye while fighting Ciryl Gane during their UFC heavyweight title fight at UFC 321 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi early on October 26, 2025. (Giuseppe Cacace/AFP via Getty Images)
“Getting poked in the eye is illegal, but fighting with one eye is very common,” Sonnen said on ESPN’s 321 post-match show. “The opponent is trying to hit your eye, he’s trying to beat you up and make your nose bleed. So that part of it has a question mark for guys like Anthony [Smith] and me. We try to be polite. We try to show grace, but in all fairness you are the heavyweight champion of the world. You have to fight with one eye at times.”
Video replays showed that Gane clearly landed both of his fingers in Aspinall’s eyes, even though the heavyweight champion was holding an ice pack to his right eye after the fight. He was heated during his interview with Daniel Cormier after the fight.
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“Boys, I just got poked knuckle-deep in the eyeball. What the—, why are you booing? What am I supposed to do about it, I didn’t poke. I can’t see! This is bull—-. The fight was just on. Total bull—-.”
Aspinall added that he “could hardly open my eye.”
Ciryl Gane beats Tom Aspinall in the UFC heavyweight championship bout during the UFC 321 event at Etihad Arena on October 25, 2025 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
While there were some who wanted to see Aspinall continue to fight, others MMA fighter Sean O’Malley defended him because of how dangerous Gane is.
“You’re the UFC heavyweight champion, you’ve just been poked in the eye very badly and you’re fighting a very dangerous kickboxer. Very dangerous kickboxer. It’s hard to stand in front of a person with that high level of skill and fight him with two eyes. Now you’re illegally poked in the eye – it wasn’t his right hand that broke. [bone]the eye swells up and he cannot see. It’s different… Tom Aspinall would fight through it.”
At the time of the incident, it appeared Gane was giving Aspinall all he could handle as Aspinall’s nose was bloody before the double poke. And since this was a title fight, the crowd and everyone involved in the UFC would have loved to see a proper finish.
Tom Aspinall reacts after being hit in the eye while fighting Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi early on October 26, 2025. (Giuseppe Cacace/AFP via Getty Images)
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Aspinall, the 32-year-old from England, had not been in the octagon since July 2024, when he dropped Curtis Blaydes a minute into the first round. Aspinall was redeemed for missing just 15 seconds in his previous match with Blaydes in July 2022 after suffering a knee injury from a kick.
Aspinall is 15-3 in his UFC career with 11 knockouts, and he has never gone to the third round in any of his fights.
