Tom Aspinall shares UFC 321 eye injury details; softens the blow with memes

After weeks without publicly addressing the incident, UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has shared details about the eye injury that abruptly ended his first title defense in a no contest last month. However, the fighter took to his social media to share the news in a lighthearted manner, showing once again that he is taking this too as a champ!

Aspinall released medical documents and commentary explaining the condition he developed following an accidental eye poke delivered by Ciryl Gane during the opening round of their UFC 321 main event on October 25 in Abu Dhabi. According to the medical report, the British heavyweight has been diagnosed with bilateral traumatic Brown’s syndrome, an uncommon disorder that limits the eye’s ability to move upward when turned inward.

The documentation outlines a series of symptoms Aspinall has been coping with, including persistent double vision across several fields of gaze, blurred vision, sensitivity to light, reduced visual acuity, and limited eye mobility in both eyes. Tests also revealed significant visual field loss. Although imaging raised initial concerns about a possible orbital wall issue, follow-up scans did not pinpoint a clear structural cause for the severity of his impairment.

Aspinall captioned his post with “Coming to get my revenge on the big cheater”. While specialists have not yet cleared Aspinall to resume fighting, and he will remain under medical observation, he does seem intent on returning to the ring in its full glory. He noted that he plans to discuss the situation further in a video set to be released on his YouTube channel.

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A post shared by Tom Aspinall (@tomaspinallofficial)

Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC), who won the undisputed heavyweight title after Jon Jones stepped away from competition earlier this year, has faced criticism from some fans alleging he overstated the impact of the eye poke. The bout with Gane (13-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) marked his first appearance since July 2024. UFC CEO Dana White has indicated that, health permitting, an immediate rematch between Aspinall and Gane is the likely next step.