Ngannou Defends Aspinall After Controversial UFC Fight
The renowned fighter Francis Ngannou has come to the defense of Tom Aspinall following the controversy generated by his withdrawal from the fight against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321. The fight, which promised to be a stellar match, ended abruptly due to an incident in which Gane accidentally impacted Aspinall’s eyes. In the main event in October, Aspinall, who was defending the heavyweight title for the first time, suffered two eye pokes from Gane in the first round. The second jab affected both of Aspinall’s eyes, and despite a five-minute pause to recover, the British fighter was unable to continue. Aspinall was taken to the hospital after the fight was declared a no-contest. Dana White, UFC president, has already announced that a rematch will be scheduled as soon as possible. However, Aspinall’s father has revealed that his son is still feeling the effects of the incident and cannot see out of his right eye. Numerous fighters have expressed their opinions on the incident. Ngannou, another UFC star, came out in defense of Aspinall.Ngannou continued to explain the seriousness of the situation, highlighting the difference between a poke in the eye and other injuries that allow for a quicker recovery.I think that poke in the eye generated a lot of news, more than the fight itself, more than the announcement of the fight.
Francis Ngannou
Ngannou also addressed the fans’ frustration, arguing that Aspinall’s decision to stop the fight was the right one given the situation. Ngannou hasn’t competed in MMA since October 2024, when he finished Renan Ferreira in his PFL debut. Before that, he suffered a second-round defeat to Anthony Joshua in a boxing match.The sting in the eye is not like getting kicked in the testicles, where you can recover and come back. It’s not like a pain; it compromises your vision. And if you’re practicing a combat sport with compromised vision, it’s not good at all.
Francis Ngannou
