UFC 321 marked just the second time in company history that a championship bout ended in a no-contest. The first came years ago, when Jon Jones’ victory over Daniel Cormier at UFC 214 was overturned after Jones tested positive for a banned substance. This time, the unfortunate moment came when Tom Aspinall was double eye-poked by Ciryl Gane in Abu Dhabi. Despite trying his best to recover, the Englishman was unable to continue, leaving fans disappointed and robbing the heavyweight division of much-needed activity.
Eye pokes, however, are nothing new in the UFC. Because of the promotion’s glove design, which leaves fighters’ fingers exposed, accidental (and sometimes intentional) eye pokes have become a recurring issue. With that in mind, here’s a look back at seven of the worst eye-poke incidents in UFC history.
1- Travis Browne vs. Matt Mitrione (UFC Fight Night 81)
UFC heavyweight Travis Browne has long carried an unfortunate reputation for eye pokes, and Matt Mitrione learned that the hard way at UFC Fight Night 81 in January 2016. During the fight, Mitrione suffered two separate eye pokes to his right eye. The second was so severe that the cageside doctor had to step in for an inspection, though the referee, Gary Forman, chose not to deduct a point.
Mitrione pushed on, constantly blinking and struggling to see as the damage worsened. In the third round, Browne landed a powerful straight punch that did most of the visible damage, but the earlier fouls had already taken their toll. When the fight finally stopped, Mitrione’s right eye was grotesquely swollen, looking like a golf ball had formed beneath the skin.
To make matters worse, just before the finish, Browne slammed Mitrione to the mat, with Mitrione’s shoulder taking a brutal hit on the canvas. The result was a gruesome injury that left the former NFL player requiring surgery and added another dark mark to Browne’s fighting record.
2- Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad (UFC Vegas 21)
Leon Edwards’ long-awaited return to the Octagon in 2021 after nearly two years away ended in a nightmare. The former 170lbs kingpin accidentally poked Belal Muhammad in the right eye early in the second round of their UFC Fight Night main event in Las Vegas.
Muhammad immediately dropped in pain, with blood trickling from his eye as referee Herb Dean halted the action and called in the ringside doctor. Moments later, the fight was waved off and ruled a no-contest just 18 seconds into the round.
It was a heartbreaking outcome for both fighters, especially for Muhammad, who was headlining his first UFC main event. The eye poke, which was actually Edwards’ second foul of the fight, left Muhammad screaming in agony and unable to open his eye.
After a quick medical assessment, he told the doctor he couldn’t see, forcing the stoppage. Replays showed Edwards’ finger inadvertently entering Muhammad’s eye as he threw a body kick. UFC CEO Dana White later posted a photo of the gruesome incident on Twitter.
3- Travis Browne vs. Fabricio Werdum (UFC 203)
Photographer Esther Lin captured one of the most gruesome moments in UFC history with a perfectly timed shot of Fabricio Werdum being poked in the eye by Travis Browne. Shockingly, this marked Browne’s second brutal eye poke incident of 2016, following his notorious bout with Matt Mitrione in January of the same year.
The two heavyweights clashed in a wild encounter at UFC 203, a fight remembered for all the wrong reasons. The bout featured a flying sidekick from Werdum, a post-fight scuffle between Werdum and Browne’s coach Edmond Tarverdyan (who had to be escorted out of the arena), a broken finger, and the infamous eye poke.
Despite Browne’s finger appearing to go alarmingly deep into Werdum’s eye socket, the Brazilian fortunately avoided serious injury and went on to win the fight via unanimous decision. Referee Gary Copeland, however, seemed to lose control of the contest. Later, Browne’s finger found its way into Werdum’s eye, resulting in one of the most disturbing visuals ever caught on camera, with the image being shared by Lin on her social media.
4- Kevin Burns vs. Anthony Johnson (UFC Fight Night 14)
Kevin Burns is remembered in MMA for two things: his nickname, ‘The Fire,’ and his infamous bouts with the late Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson. Long before Johnson became a feared light heavyweight knockout artist, he was a welterweight prospect.
In his fourth UFC fight, he faced Burns at UFC Fight Night 14 in July 2008, a bout that remains one of the most controversial in UFC history due to repeated eye pokes. Although Johnson was in control for much of the fight, Burns repeatedly poked him in the eyes. Despite multiple warnings from the referee, Burns couldn’t avoid the fouls.
Want to see something that will piss you off as a fight fan? Here’s Kevin Burns defeating Anthony Johnson via TKO because of a BLATANT eye poke. #UFN14pic.twitter.com/KvU0WYnoNP
In the third round, a particularly severe eye poke left Johnson screaming in agony and collapsing to the mat, unable to continue. Shockingly, the referee, Steve Mazzagatti, didn’t see the foul and instead declared a TKO victory for Burns, a decision that drew widespread criticism as replays clearly showed the illegal strike.
The injury was serious enough that Johnson later required laser surgery on his eye. True to his resilience, he avenged the loss just five months later, knocking out Burns with a head kick in decisive fashion. The bout remains a stark reminder of how dangerous and controversial eye pokes can be in MMA.
5- Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier (UFC 252)
The heavyweight trilogy fight at UFC 252 between Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier took an unfortunate turn when Miocic accidentally poked Cormier in the eye late in the third round. The irony was hard to miss: Cormier himself had developed a reputation as a notorious eye-poker by the end of his career, even delivering eye strikes to Miocic in their first two bouts.
This time, however, he was on the receiving end. The foul, which went unnoticed by referee Marc Goddard, severely damaged Cormier’s left eye, leaving him with almost no vision for the final two rounds of his career.
Despite the impairment, Cormier continued to fight but ultimately lost via unanimous decision. After the fight, Miocic apologized for the accidental strike. Replays showed a disturbing moment at the end of round three, with Miocic’s finger pressing deep into Cormier’s left eye, effectively blinding him in that eye for the remainder of the bout.
Between rounds, Goddard dismissed Cormier’s complaints, insisting it was a punch, not an eye poke, that had caused the pain. The injury was serious enough to tear Cormier’s cornea, though he avoided surgery before retiring.
Kshitiz Kumar Singh is a UFC Writer at NY Fights with over three years of experience in sports journalism and content creation. Known for his sharp storytelling and passion for combat sports, he has written in-depth features on stars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, and Ilia Topuria. Before joining NY Fights, Kshitiz worked as a UFC Editor at EssentiallySports while currently serving as a WWE Editor at FirstSportz. His admiration for legends like Georges St-Pierre continues to inspire his detailed and engaging MMA coverage. Whether he’s covering the Octagon or the squared circle, Kshitiz is committed to delivering accurate, high-quality content. Outside the world of sports, he’s a dedicated cinephile, often found practicing monologues from his favorite Al Pacino films, combining his love for cinema with storytelling.
