UFC commentator slams fans and takes up Tom Aspinall's fight amidst the champion's controversy.

Aspinall with an eye injury after a UFC fight. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/UFC

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Joe Rogan disagrees with the criticism directed at Tom Aspinall after the controversial outcome at UFC 321, held in October 2025. On that occasion, the Briton faced Ciryl Gane , but the fight ended in a draw after the Frenchman poked the champion in the eye in the first round. The episode generated a strong reaction from fans, who began to blame Aspinall, something that, in the view of the Ultimate commentator, is unfair.

During an episode of his podcast, Rogan stated that Aspinall was clearly disadvantaged in the fight. The commentator highlighted that the champion lost his sight and, since then, has had to undergo two eye surgeries. He believes the public's outrage over the fight's interruption was disproportionate and senseless.

“He was wronged. He really screwed up in that fight. The way people got angry at him for stopping the fight because of the eye pokes, to me, that was maddening. What do you expect the guy to do? He's defending the heavyweight title. He gets poked in the eye, can't see shit, and has had two eye surgeries since then,” said Joe Rogan.

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Rogan also emphasized the seriousness of the illegal strike, detailing that the opponent's finger deeply pierced Aspinall's eye. The commentator harshly criticized the reaction of some fans, calling it exaggerated and typical of casual spectators, and stressed that the responsibility for ending the match lay solely with the opponent, not the champion.

“If you look at the eye poke, the finger went all the way into his eye socket. I simply hated how the fans reacted, and they're the casuals, the jerks. To me, I thought: 'Man, you have to give the guy a break. They gouged his eye out.' The finger literally went all the way into his eye socket… It's not his fault. It was the opponent's fault,” the commentator concluded.

Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane could meet again in the UFC.

Tom Aspinall may have the chance to prove that the stoppage at UFC 321 was, in fact, due to the eye poke. This is because the Briton has once again clashed with Ciryl Gane , who won the interim belt by defeating Alex Poatan at UFC Casa Branca , assuming the interim heavyweight title (up to 120,2 kg).

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