Featured Image Credit: YouTube/Tom Aspinall Official / Getty
Topics: Tom Aspinall, UFC
Ryan Smart
Tom Aspinall's father has asked questions of the UFC after his son suffered an injured eye at the hands of opponent Ciryl Gane during UFC 321.
Aspinall was poked in both eyes by Gane during their fight, which saw Aspinall defend his UFC Heavyweight Championship for the first time.
The fight was waved off as a no-contest, with Aspinall suffering from severe discomfort and pain in his right eye.
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After it was bandaged and an eye patch applied, the Englishman was taken to hospital for further tests.
In a YouTube video posted to his official channel on Sunday evening, Aspinall confirmed that he doesn't yet know the full extent of the damage caused by Gane's eye poke, which was ruled to be accidental by the UFC.
"We've got to more more tests in the UK," Aspinall said on camera. "Flying back today, and we'll go from there. I'm not sure when I'll be ready to let everyone know what's going on."
In the same video, Aspinall's father, Andy, described the incident as 'horrendous to look at', before questioning the UFC over how many times such an injury has occurred in the past without the organisation taking any meaningful action.
"The only thing I ever want is for him to come out of our fights alright, and the opponent," he began.
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"I'm only just thinking about it now, but the UFC will have fights of everyone on record. I just wonder if they have data of how many people poke poeple in the eyes, or kick people in the groin, and the fight goes on, they get away with it. Mike Bisping, he lost his eye.
"It's a horrendous thing to think about as a parent, that they could lose an eye through someone that constantly pokes eyes. And I'm not saying that Ciryl does.
"But I think it would be useful to analyse the people who do it, and not get them out of the sport, but have them tidy up their game so they don't go and kick people in between their legs and they don't keep constantly poking people in eyes.
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"Because a lot of fighters do it, and get away with it in the fight, win the fight, and everybody says afterwards... they forget that the guy got poked in the eye. I just think it's unfair. Something needs doing about it."