Tom Aspinall
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It was meant to be the crowning moment of Tom Aspinall's undisputed heavyweight title reign. Instead, his first defence at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi ended in fury, frustration, and a 'bull****' call that left the champion half-blind and the crowd booing.

The main event fight against Ciryl Gane was just heating up in the first round when the foul occurred. It was not a glancing blow, but a severe double eye poke from Gane that sent Aspinall reeling in pain.

A Title Defence Derailed by a 'Double Eye Poke'

As is customary, the action was paused for a maximum of five minutes. The referee and a doctor immediately entered the Octagon to check on the British champion.

It quickly became clear that the damage was serious. After the assessment, it was deemed that Aspinall could not continue.

Because the fight-ending foul was ruled 'accidental', the bout was officially declared a No Contest. The unexpected and deeply anticlimactic ending confused the Etihad Arena crowd, who began to boo loudly.

'I Can't See!': Aspinall Blasts 'Bulls***' Ending

Aspinall, 32, was visibly furious during his post-fight interview in the cage, turning his anger on the booing fans.

'I just got poked knuckled-deep in the eyeball', Aspinall said. 'What the f***, why are you booing? What am I supposed to do about it? I didn't do the poke, I can't see!'.

As a slow-motion replay showed the severity of the foul on the big screen, the Wigan native's frustration only grew. 'This is bulls***. The fight was just getting going. Look at this, a double eye poke'.

Gane, 35, was also subjected to boos as he tried to address the crowd. 'I'm very sorry about this', he said. 'For the crowd, for Tom Aspinall, for myself. This is the sport'.

With the Division in Limbo, Who Is Next?

This frustrating result solves nothing and throws the entire heavyweight picture into chaos. Aspinall's last outing was a stunning 60-second knockout of Curtis Blaydes in July 2024, where he made the rare choice to defend the interim belt.

Gane, meanwhile, entered UFC 321 on the back of a controversial decision victory against Alexander Volkov in December. Now, with no winner, the question of 'what's next' is more complicated than ever.

An immediate rematch with Ciryl Gane seems logical to settle the score, but Aspinall has his eyes on bigger prizes. The Brit has long called for a legacy fight with the sport's arguable 'GOAT', Jon 'Bones' Jones.

However, that matchup remains complicated. It is difficult to imagine Jones returning for anything less than a marquee headliner, such as next year's anticipated UFC White House card. Furthermore, Jones has consistently avoided a matchup with Aspinall, and there is no guarantee he would finally agree to face the Brit.

Why a 'Poatan' Mega-Fight May Be Smarter Than Chasing Jones

With the Jones fight a fantasy, a new blockbuster possibility has emerged: Alex 'Poatan' Pereira.

The light-heavyweight champion has openly expressed interest in moving up to heavyweight, specifically to challenge Jones at the White House event. UFC President Dana White, however, has already confirmed that Jones will not be getting that particular opportunity.

This opens a fascinating door. The UFC could book Pereira vs. Aspinall instead, a true mega-fight between two of the sport's most dangerous strikers.

Such a bout would serve as the perfect setup for Aspinall to eventually meet Jones down the line, giving him another massive victory while the Jon Jones saga continues.

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