Tom Aspinall Shares Positive Update on Eye Injury in Behind-the-Scenes Footage Following UFC 321

Tom Aspinall’s return to the Octagon after 14 months for his first undisputed heavyweight title fight against Ciryl Gane ended in dramatic fashion. At UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi, the main event ended late in the opening round when Gane accidentally poked Aspinall in both eyes, leaving the champion unable to continue. The bout was ruled a no-contest, and Aspinall was taken to the hospital for evaluation. UFC CEO Dana White later confirmed that a rematch between the two 265-pounders is likely.

As stated, the fight marked Aspinall’s first appearance since July 2024 and his debut as the undisputed heavyweight champion after previously holding the interim title since UFC 295. And with many fans awaiting details on the Englishman’s condition, Aspinall finally shared footage from backstage. The clips captured his emotional reaction moments after the fight was stopped, along with footage from his trip to the hospital following the unfortunate incident.

Tom Aspinall Receives Positive Initial Prognosis After Eye Poke With Further Tests Pending

On Sunday, Aspinall broke his silence following the controversial ending to his UFC 321 fight by posting a 48-second video on Instagram. The 32-year-old heavyweight kingpin didn’t include a caption, but the clip documented the tense hours after the bout.

The video opened with Aspinall speaking to referee Jason Herzog, who had stopped the fight at 4:35 of the first round. Herzog could be heard explaining that fouls are an unfortunate reality in MMA and offered advice on how to prevent them in future bouts.

The footage then showed an angry Aspinall venting his frustration. “All that training for that. What the f— is [Gane] doing?” he said. 

 

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A post shared by Tom Aspinall (@tomaspinallofficial)

Moments later, UFC commentator and former double champion Daniel Cormier was heard noting that the poke to Aspinall’s left eye was really deep. Aspinall replied, “They were both bad. Twice before he got warned for it and f—ing did it again.”

The video also featured Aspinall’s father and coach, Andy Aspinall, reacting to the incident while clips showed his son in an ambulance and later undergoing eye exams at the hospital. He said, “Mike Bisping, he lost his eye.”

He added, “It’s a horrendous thing to think [about] as a parent, really. I know what it’s like these days with people saying what they want, but it is just your son, and they could lose an eye and their health, and they’ve got children to look after. You know, something needs doing about it. It’s horrendous for me to look at.”

Later, a full 47-minute vlog of the night was released on Aspinall’s YouTube channel, showing more details of his hospital visit in Abu Dhabi. “It felt like [Gane’s] finger hit the back of the eye socket when he pushed it in. I just couldn’t see,” Aspinall recalled. 

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Doctors ran several tests and ultimately gave a positive initial prognosis regarding his long-term vision. However, they stressed that stopping the fight was the right decision and that Aspinall needed follow-up testing. The doctor said, “You should stop the fight until you are good again and until you are cleared from our side.”

However, there was an immediate word of caution. “Not after this visit, after the second. After making sure everything is coming back to normal with the vision. But we didn’t find anything dangerous.”

Tom Aspinall shares footage from the hospital following #UFC321. 🏥

The doctor says it was good that the fight was stopped despite not finding anything “dangerous” from initial scans.

Aspinall will now undergo more scans when he returns to the UK.

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Still, Aspinall admitted he won’t feel at ease until his vision fully recovers and he gets a second opinion. Aspinall ended the blog by saying that they will undergo more tests once they are back home. 

He concluded, “Waiting for further results. We’ve got to do some more tests in the UK as well. So, we’re flying back today, and we’ll go from there.”

As already stated, a rematch between the duo is planned by the company. However, it will be interesting to see how soon Aspinall can recover and be cleared to step back inside the Octagon.