Tom Aspinall hits back at Ciryl Gane after infamous eye poking incident at UFC 321

The heavyweight clash between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 ended in controversy after an unfortunate eye poke brought the highly anticipated title fight to an abrupt halt. While the bout was ruled a no contest, Aspinall has since responded with a mix of humor and defiance, addressing the incident in his own unique way.

Tom Aspinall responds with humor amid recovery

Following the chaotic end to the main event, Tom Aspinall took to Instagram to make light of the situation. Sharing a picture of himself wearing an eye patch, the reigning heavyweight champion wrote,

“At least I’m ready for Halloween.” The witty jab at the situation showed the Brit’s resilient spirit despite the seriousness of his injury.

Immediately after the incident, Tom Aspinall was transported to the hospital for further medical evaluation. His father and head coach, Andy Aspinall, later revealed the extent of the injury in a YouTube video, stating that his son was struggling with significant vision loss.

"His right eye, he can't see anything," Andy said. "It's just gray. [Doctors] 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."

Fight ends in no contest; rematch confirmed

The UFC 321 showdown had promised fireworks, with both heavyweights entering the octagon in top form. Unfortunately, an accidental eye poke from Gane just minutes into the fight led to the immediate stoppage. With the result declared a no contest, Aspinall retained his title.

UFC CEO Dana White later confirmed that the fight will be rebooked once Tom Aspinall fully recovers, saying that both fighters deserve a fair conclusion to their unfinished business. The upcoming rematch is expected to be one of the most anticipated bouts in the division, given the controversy surrounding their previous encounter.

Before the incident, Aspinall had built a strong 15-3 professional record, earning dominant victories over top contenders like Curtis Blaydes, Sergei Pavlovich, and Marcin Tybura. Meanwhile, Ciryl Gane sits at 13-2, with impressive wins over Alexander Volkov and Serghei Spivac.