Tom Aspinall used ‘forbidden’ words that ‘no fighter ever should’ during his controversial no contest fight with Ciryl Gane at UFC 321.
Aspinall's first fight as the undisputed heavyweight champion ended prematurely, after he was poked in both eyes.
During the medical timeout, the Briton was struggling to see out of his right eye, prompting the referee Jason Herzog to call off the bout after just four minutes and 35 seconds.
Aspinall was taken to hospital for treatment, but there has been no update on the extent of his injuries.
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Despite that, American MMA fighter Aljamain Sterling was critical of Aspinall's choice of words during the timeout, specifically the phase: 'I can't see.'
Speaking on the middle of the cage podcast, he said: "Every fighter knows not to say 'I can't see'
"Right away, the guy is saying: 'I can't see'.
"That is the one thing I have to say Tommy really really f****d up, you can't say: 'I can't see'.
"We know those are the nail in the coffin to any fight.
"You go 'I can't see,' the ref stops the fight, the doctor comes in, they look at you, they stop the fight.
"You can't say that, so if you actually want your five minutes to try and recover to see if you can stay in the fight, you can't use those words.
Sterling continued: "The ref came over multiple times and was kind of asking him, giving him other chances to say 'hey I'm giving you time' and just like 'I can't see'.
"I'm like bro, just say okay, let me take my time to see if things get better.
"If guys want to compete, that's what they say."
Although Aspinall's fight with Gane ended prematurely, the UFC are reportedly planning a rematch as soon as possible.
However, the severity of the 32-year-old's eye injury will be the deciding factor in whether he can make a return.
Some MMA fans have suggested UFC 323, which is scheduled for December 6, but that feels too soon.
After the fight, UFC President Dana White said: "The rematch is very interesting.
"Right here, right now, being honest, I never do this when it comes to talking about what next fight is going to happen, the rematch is what makes sense."
MMA journalist Nick Peet has suggested Aspinall will be eager to make a return to the octagon as soon as possible.
Topics: Tom Aspinall, MMA, Aljamain Sterling, Dana White, UFC
James Taylor