Tom Aspinall’s father and coach, Andy, has disclosed that his son continues to experience vision loss in his right eye after sustaining a severe injury over the weekend.
The reigning heavyweight champion was gearing up to defend his title at UFC 321 against Ciryl Gane. Gane started strongly in the first round, landing impactful jabs and maintaining a defensive stance.
However, towards the end of the round, Gane accidentally poked Aspinall in both eyes, leading to a temporary pause in the fight. Despite being given a five-minute break to recover, Aspinall signaled to the ringside doctor and referee about his impaired vision. Subsequently, the match was called off and ruled a no contest.
Following the incident, Aspinall was swiftly taken to the hospital for further evaluations. After undergoing tests in Abu Dhabi and later in the UK, his father, Aspinall Sr, provided an update on his condition post UFC 321.
In a recent video on Aspinall’s YouTube channel, he detailed the doctor’s assessment, noting the severity of the eye injury and the current state of his vision. Additional examinations and a CT scan are scheduled to determine the extent of the damage.
Members of Aspinall’s team expressed astonishment at the handling of the situation, questioning why Gane was not disqualified after the eye poke incident. Video footage post-fight captured the frustration within Aspinall’s camp over the incident.
Looking ahead, the upcoming UFC event is slated to feature Steve Garcia against David Onama in Las Vegas on November 1st. The preliminaries will commence at 8 pm UK time, with the main card starting at 11 pm UK time.
In the headline fight, Onama is expected to enter the cage first around 2 am UK time on Sunday. UK viewers can catch all the action live on TNT Sports.
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