Several French media outlets have called out Tom Aspinall after the controversial eye poke which ended his fight with Ciryl Gane prematurely.
Aspinall took on Frenchman Gane at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi with the heavyweight championship on the line.
However, the bout ended in a no contest towards the end of the first round following an accidental eye poke from Gane that meant that Aspinall was unable to see.
Both fighters were disappointed with the outcome after the referee ended the fight and deemed it a no contest, with the crowd booing Aspinall in the octagon during the post-bout interviews.
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It led to a passionate defence from Aspinall and questioning why he was being booed, and he was taken to hospital after the no contest and did not attend a post-fight press conference.
He said: "Guys, I just got poked knuckle deep in the eyeball. Why are you booing? I can't see.
"The fight was just getting going. I can hardly open my eye. Look! It was a double eye poke."
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Gane admitted his disappointment as naturally the question of a rematch was teased, but said he was sorry for all involved.
He said: "I feel sorry. I'm sorry for the crowd, for the fans, I'm sorry for Tom Aspinall and sorry for myself.
"We put a lot of energy in this fight so I'm disappointed, but this is the sport, this is life.
"I don't know what is going to happen for the future, but we will see."
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Though the eye poke from Gane was unquestionable, some in the French media have questioned if Aspinall could have continued, despite his insistence that he could not see, and ended the fight after a poor opening round.
L'Equipe reported: "His injury spoke for itself. But not enough to stifle the question that arose in the stands, the locker room, and on social media: could he have continued?"
It its piece, Eurosport France reported: "One question still remains: did Aspinall take the easy way out after being hit in the eye, sensing that this fight might slip away from him? Obviously, this theory resonates with the French public."
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And RMC Sport reported: "While "Bon Gamin's" eye poke is undeniable, many observers - including current and former UFC fighters - believed that Aspinall took advantage of the situation and the rules to end a fight that had gotten off to a bad start for him."
However, journalist Ariel Helwani has rubbished this theory and called it 'complete nonsense' that Aspinall was seeking a way out of the fight after the first round.
Speaking on Instagram, Helwani said: "I'm seeing it all online 'Tom quit. It got dicey out there for him and he quit.'
"That's what the people are saying - complete hogwash, complete nonsense.
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"If you just watch it, you will see that those were two nasty deep eye pokes.
"You could say that he lost that first round. I think he lost that first round.
"I think we all agree that he lost that first round, that is fair game.
"But to suggest that he quit, that he wanted a way out, that he looked for a way out because the going got tough, is just something that I'm not going to subscribe to."
Topics: UFC, Tom Aspinall, MMA
John McDougall