Eye poke ends Tom Aspinall vs Ciryl Gane fight
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Jones retired instead of defending the heavyweight title against Aspinall, who put it on the line against Ciryl Gane – only to suffer a fight-ending foul
Tom Aspinall's heavyweight title defense ended in a no-contest due to an eye poke. This outcome may have jeopardized his chance to fight Jon Jones at the upcoming White House event. Sean O'Malley believes this missed opportunity could impact Aspinall's career trajectory.
Retaining his title nevertheless, the Brit has come under fire from a host of stars who have questioned the severity of the in-fight injury. The latest to weigh in on the fiasco is former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier, who compared his past issues with fouls to Aspinall’s ill-fated return in Abu Dhabi.
Jim Miller: UFC's eye-poke epidemic is 'a cultural issue' — and 'something worse is going to happen'
The UFC's longest-tenured active fighter strongly believes something needs to change within the UFC itself, rather than with the rules or the gloves.