Jiří Procházka‘s Resilience Echoes as aspinall Alleges Eye Poke Cost Him UFC Fight
The MMA world is debating the circumstances surrounding Tom Aspinall‘s first-round TKO loss to Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295, with Aspinall alleging a series of intentional eye pokes led to the fight’s stoppage. The incident has reignited discussion about the prevalence of eye pokes in the sport and the challenges of consistent officiating.
Aspinall, who had been preparing for 14 months for the bout, stated he received a finger to the eye from pavlovich, despite the referee issuing two prior cautions to the russian heavyweight. Doctors examining Aspinall after the fight reportedly agreed the injury was severe enough to warrant a stoppage. The outcome leaves Aspinall’s championship aspirations on hold and raises questions about the future of the heavyweight division.
The situation drew comparisons to Jiří Procházka’s own battle through an eye injury during his July 2023 fight against Alex Pereira. despite a meaningful gouge to his eye, Procházka continued fighting, ultimately losing via second-round TKO. When asked about the severity of the injury post-fight, Procházka responded, “I can still feel it… But I definitely didn’t think about the fight stopping. The fight definitely won’t end as I got hit in the eye. I still have another one.”
While acknowledging the differences between individual incidents, observers noted Procházka’s determination as a testament to the warrior spirit within the sport. However, Aspinall expressed frustration with the officiating, stating, ”What the hell is he doing? He got cautioned twice before. And he did it again. How come he didn’t get disqualified after that? People started booing me like it was my fault. I got a finger in my eye.” Aspinall confirmed further testing will be conducted in the UK to assess the extent of the damage and determine his recovery timeline. “I’m not sure when I’ll be ready until I find out what’s going on,” he said. “We are devastated.”
UFC 322 – Fight Card:
* 170 lbs.: Welterweight Champion Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev
* 155 lbs: Women’s Flyweight Champion Valentina Shevchenko vs. Zhang Weili
* 185 lbs.: Sean Brady vs. Michael Morales
* 170 lbs.: Leon Edwards vs. Carlos Prates
* 185 lbs.: Bo Nickal vs.Rodolfo Vieira
* 155 lbs.: Beneil Dariush vs. Benoit Saint denis
* 135 lbs.: Malcolm Wellmaker vs. Cody Haddon
* 185 lbs.: Roman Kopylov vs. Gregory Rodrigues
* 125 lbs.: Erin Blanchfield vs. Tracy Cortez 2
* 205 lbs.: Eric McConico vs. Baisangur Susurkaev
* 185 lbs.: Kyle Daukaus vs. Gerald Meerschaert
* 115 lbs.: Fatima Kline vs. Angela Hill
