Former champion questions Tom Aspinall's withdrawal from UFC 321: 'Did that really hurt?'

Tom Aspinall is the UFC champion. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/UFC

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Aljamain Sterling has doubts about how debilitated Tom Aspinall was after Ciryl Gane 's eye poke at UFC 321. In the main event, the Frenchman poked the champion in the eye, causing the fight to be stopped and consequently ended without a result, which, in the opinion of the 'Funkmaster', may have been an exaggeration.

In a video posted to his YouTube channel, Aljamain Sterling commented on Tom Aspinall 's 'withdrawal' and questioned whether the champion was truly unable to continue the fight.

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“I know you guys think I’m going to side with Tommy, but I’m not… I have so many questions, man. Tom Aspinall was losing the fight. Immediately the guy said, ‘I can’t see.’ That makes me wonder, ‘Did it really hurt as much as you said?’” Sterling said.

Finger prints in the eye that marked the UFC

In addition to the Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane fight , the UFC has had decisive bouts interrupted by accidental eye pokes, such as Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad (2021), Yair Rodriguez vs. Jeremy Stephens (2019), Sean O'Malley vs. Pedro Munhoz (2022), and Phil Davis vs. Wagner Prado (2012), all ending in a no contest and generating controversy among athletes and fans.

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