-
Brett Okamoto
UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall He’s still dealing with the effects of the eye poke he suffered in last weekend’s title fight Cyril Gane At UFC 321.
Aspinall (15-3) was hospitalized Saturday after Gane (13-2) accidentally gouged both of his eyes during an exchange in the first round. Aspinall was unable to continue, and the bout was ruled the first no-contest in UFC title fight history.
On Tuesday, Aspinall’s father and head coach Andy gave a worrying update on the 32-year-old’s condition.
“It’s not good,” Andy said in a video posted on Aspinall’s YouTube channel. “His right eye, he can’t see anything. It’s just grey. [Doctors] Tried him on words, and he couldn’t see anything. His left eye is 50% damaged. it was about four letters long [down the chart] And then he could not see the letter. So, one is really, really blurry – and one is not working.”
Andy told ESPN on Sunday that his son avoided “bone damage” in the field, but the team is in the process of undergoing further tests this week. Aspinall has not issued any official statement since the no-contest, but he was visibly upset in the Octagon afterward.
According to CEO Dana White, the UFC intends to re-book the matchup between Aspinall and Gane. However, that rebooking will have to wait for a potential date as Aspinall and his team face the long-term impact of the foul.
“Hopefully, everything will go well,” the elder Aspinall said. “But that can’t happen.”
