"I'm not a dummy"- Tom Aspinall disputes Dana White's comments implying he didn’t want to continue after the UFC 321 eye poke

Tom Aspinall recently addressed Dana White’s suggestion that he chose not to continue against Ciryl Gane after being eye-poked at UFC 321. The UFC heavyweight champion described the situation as a straightforward case of an illegal foul that made the fight impossible to continue safely.

He explained that the double eye poke left him with distorted vision in both eyes. The UK MMA star pulled back some receipts to claim that he has fought through compromised vision in the past. He referenced his fight against Andrei Arlovski, in which he pushed on despite being unable to see out of one eye.

Addressing fan questions and White's comments in the aftermath of UFC 321 on his YouTube channel, he said:

“Well, listen, I didn’t continue. I’ll tell you why I didn’t continue. Because I’m not a dummy. Like I’m not going to go out there and fight one of the best strikers in the world if I can’t see with double vision.... If you get double eye poked in both eyes and you’ve got no vision because of a foul, why should I carry on?"

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He added:

"Hunter Campbell, whom I deal with personally, just [asked] if they can help out in any way with doctors and stuff like that. That’s what they’ll do. Look, it’s not up to me. It’s up to the doctors at the minute. I ain’t allowed to do nothing. So, I’m just following advise at the moment.”

Check out Tom Aspinall's comments below (7:25):

Aspinall also released a medical timeline showing significant trauma to both eyes and symptoms consistent with a tendon-related movement issue. Specialists are still evaluating the injury and have placed him under strict orders to avoid training until the inflammation settles and his eye mobility improves.

Tom Aspinall reflects on UFC 321 aftermath

Tom Aspinall described the period following UFC 321 as frustrating and challenging. He spent 15 months sidelined from competition, waiting for a potential clash against Jon Jones and trained intensely for six months before the fight.

He said recovery is now his top priority, and he will return only when fully cleared by specialists. Aspinall expressed gratitude to fans and fellow fighters for their support during the downtime.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, the UFC heavyweight champion said:

“Well, look, if you were sidelined from doing your job for like 15 months, not allowed to do anything, you train your [expletive] off for 6 months for a fight, then to get double eye poked, to be left with no vision for nearly six weeks because of an illegal move. How do you think I feel? Not feeling fantastic, am I?... I have no idea [when I can return to action]. Absolutely no idea. I'm obviously very keen, very keen to get back and beat this guy up, but I've got to be 100% right. So, whenever the eyes are good to go, that's when I'll do it."