Former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo recently shared his thoughts on Tom Aspinall‘s eye-poke incident, which left fans divided. Cejudo weighed in on the debate and discussed how eye-pokes should be handled.
Aspinall met Ciryl Gane in the UFC 321 main event, defending his heavyweight title for the first time. The fight ended abruptly in the 1st round after Gane accidentally poked Aspinall in both eyes.
Cejudo, who experienced the same agony, understands exactly what Aspinall endured in the octagon. Earlier this year, he suffered a similar injury during his fight with Song Yadong. That experience shifted his perspective on fighters who suffer eye-pokes.
“You gotta take [Aspinall] for his word. He did get papped up. I could see why people are saying that he possibly took the easy route out,” Cejudo said during a recent episode of Pound 4 Pound. “I’d be the first to be hating right now but because it’s happened to me, you gotta give him the benefit of the doubt. He got maybe even some humbling, bro.”
The main event was declared a no contest. During his post-event press conference, Dana White confirmed there will be an immediate rematch.
Henry Cejudo’s Co-Host Kamaru Usman Reacts to Tom Aspinall’s Eye-Poke Debate
Cejudo’s co-host Kamaru Usman also shared his view on the incident. He backed Cejudo’s defense of Aspinall and highlighted the harsh reality of fighting through serious injuries.
Usman broke down how fans misjudge UFC fighters. The Nigerian Nightmare believes they often underestimate just how painful and dangerous eye-pokes are. Replays clearly showed both of Aspinall’s eyes being poked, leaving little doubt that the injury was real.
“Only Tom knows how bad that eye injury was,” Usman said. “‘You’re being a [expletive], you should have continued, you quit.’ Because we are gladiators, [fans] just feel like you should die in there.”
Usman also pushed back on Cejudo’s claim that Gane was controlling the fight.
“Let’s not just act like Tom was getting his [expletive] whooped out there. They both touched each other. It’s just that Ciryl Gane looked a little more effortless. The rematch is on fire because everyone knows now [Gane] is the real deal.”
Aspinall’s Father Reacts to Criticism Over His Son’s Decision
Aspinall’s father, Andy Aspinall, also responded to online criticism against his son. Many fans accused the heavyweight champion of quitting. However, Andy defended his son’s decision to stop fighting.
There was recovery time available for Aspinall. Even then, he still felt the effects and informed both his corner and the cageside doctor that he couldn’t see.
In a video posted to Aspinall’s Instagram account, Andy highlighted the danger of eye-pokes. He believes his son made the right call. In addition, he believes continuing to fight could have caused permanent damage.
“Bisping, he lost his eye. It’s just a horrendous thing to think as a parent, and I know what it’s like these days with people saying what they want,” Andy Aspinall said. “If it’s your son and they can lose an eye and their health, and they got children to look after. Something needs doing about it. It’s horrendous for me to look at.”
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