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Topics: Tom Aspinall, UFC, MMA
John McDougall
Former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen has given a controversial view on Tom Aspinall's no contest fight after accidentally being poked in the eye by Ciryl Gane.
The Main Card event at UFC 321 was cut short after only one round when Aspinall was poked in the eye non-intentionally by Gane and the fight was subsequently declared a no contest by the referee.
Aspinall was booed by the crowd in Abu Dhabi watching the action in the Octagon, but the UFC heavyweight champion defended himself and went to hospital after the fight, not attending the post-bout press conference.
Gane too was frustrated after the fight and apologised after the accidental error led to the bout's premature conclusion.
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Aspinall's MMA record now stands at 15 wins from 19 matches, with three losses and one no contest.
Gane's record now reads 13 wins from 16 MMA bouts, with two defeats and a no contest, with questions over if and when there will be a rematch between the pair in the future.
Multiple views have been expressed about the fight's stoppage and the nature of the no contest verdict being delivered owing to Aspinall being unable to see.
One of those has been given by former UFC fighter Sonnen, whose MMA career has stretched to 49 matches across the likes of the UFC and Bellator.
Sonnen's record stands at 31 wins, 17 losses and one draw, with his final bout coming in 2019 at Bellator 222 when he lost against Lyoto Machida.
Now retired Sonnen has given his view as a pundit on ESPN and believes that Aspinall could have continued the fight despite his eye injury.
Sonnen took the view that, though Aspinall struggled to see after Gane accidentally poked him in his eye, it is not uncommon in MMA to fight with only one eye working at some point in a fight due to injuries inflicted in ways other than this illegal means - such as being struck near the eye or nose, which can often lead to swelling and obscured vision.
He said: "Being poked in the eye is illegal, but to fight with one eye is very common.
"The opponent is trying to hit your eye, he's trying to bust up and make your nose bleed, so that part of it does have questions for guys like me.
"We're trying to be polite, we're trying to show grace, but in all fairness you're the heavyweight champion of the world. You've got to fight with one eye at times."