UFC Veterans Question Tom Aspinall‘s Withdrawal at UFC 321 Following Eye Poke
Seattle, WA – Concerns are rising among UFC veterans regarding Tom Aspinall’s decision to withdraw from his heavyweight bout against Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 321 following an accidental eye poke in the first round. While replays clearly show the impact of the poke, some former fighters believe Aspinall may have been capable of continuing despite the injury.
The incident occurred during a striking exchange, with Aspinall visibly reacting to a poke to the eye. He received a brief break for medical attention, during which an ice cube was applied to the affected eye via a cloth.Aspinall ultimately informed the referee he could not continue, leading to a no-contest result.
Chael sonnen, a former UFC title contender, questioned the severity of the injury and Aspinall’s response. “Don’t forget this cloth that he had on his eye contained an ice cube.This wasn’t some kind of magic cloth that was going to cure a cornea or something wrong with your eye or even take swelling away. It contained an ice cube and it was just being held on there oddly,” Sonnen stated. He added, “If you get poked in the eye and you can’t see, generally in our sport that’s just something you’ve got to push through.”
Fellow UFC veteran,Smith (last name not provided in source material),echoed Sonnen’s sentiment,acknowledging the likely public perception. “The narrative’s going to be tomorrow is that Tom Aspinall was in a fight that was harder than he thought it was going to be…and looked for a way out,” Smith predicted. “That’s not what I’m saying. I would never say that. But that’s what everybody else is going to say.”
Pavlovich had been aggressively pursuing Aspinall prior to the stoppage, landing significant strikes. Sonnen noted Pavlovich was “throwing bombs…the kind of punches had they landed, would have ended the night and did end the night for six prior opponents.”
Aspinall is now expected to face scrutiny and criticism as the incident is debated within the MMA community. The outcome leaves the heavyweight division in a state of uncertainty, with a rematch between aspinall and Pavlovich likely to be discussed for a future event.
