After Tom Aspinall’s first UFC heavyweight title defense ended prematurely due to an accidental eye poke from Ciryl Gane, UFC President Dana White moved to clarify his position regarding the incident.
Aspinall previously expressed frustration over White’s statements following the fight.
“I didn’t continue, and I’ll tell you why I didn’t continue: because I’m not a f*cking dummy,” Aspinall said. “I’m not going to go out there and fight one of the best strikers in the world if I can’t see. I know, as an MMA fighter, things are going to happen in the fight that compromise you. I ain’t going to fight if I can’t see anything because of a foul. If it’s a legal move, we have to fight through it. That’s what we do as fighters. But when it’s a foul, why am I going to put my health at risk when I cannot see at all?”
White Addresses Comments Directly
Speaking after UFC 323, White made it clear that he never intended to criticize Aspinall or question his decision.
“I get it,” White said during the post-fight press conference. “I don’t remember exactly what I said. What did I say? I think his eyes are OK? I know Tom said I haven’t even talked to him and all this stuff. We have people all over him right now, checking up on him, making sure he’s good, does he need any help or any specialists. I’m no doctor. I’m just saying what I’ve heard. It wasn’t said in a way [to be detrimental], ‘I said I think he’s fine.’ It wasn’t like that. I said I think Tom’s eyes are good, he’s going to take some time, heal and come back. That’s all I said. I wasn’t saying anything negative towards him. I think things can be taken out of context or he didn’t see what I said because I don’t even remember what the f*ck I said. But never once did I say anything negative about him or in a derogatory way.”
Dana White says he never meant to paint Tom Aspinall in a negative light when addressing his eye injury vs. Ciryl Gane.
“Never once did I ever say anything negative about him or in a derogatory way.” pic.twitter.com/AD8Mkmrz1x
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) December 7, 2025
Despite the injury leaving Aspinall’s exact return date uncertain, White expressed confidence in the champion’s determination.
“I’m sure he’s upset and fired up,” White remarked. “He’ll get better and we’ll get him back in there.” via MMAFighting
The UFC and Aspinall’s team continue to monitor his progress closely, aiming for a safe recovery and a potential rematch with Gane once Aspinall is cleared to compete.
