Tom Aspinall has publicly confirmed the exact medical condition he suffered in the aftermath of the October 25 UFC 321 heavyweight title fight in Abu Dhabi. His first title defense ended in a no contest after a finger to the eye from Ciryl Gane. After more than a month without comment, Aspinall released specialist documents showing he was diagnosed with bilateral traumatic Browns syndrome, a rare injury that limits upward eye movement when the eye is turned inward.
He is not cleared to train or compete and is still being monitored by eye specialists. Surgery is being considered depending on how the injury progresses. Aspinall said he will discuss the situation further in a video on his channel.
Aspinall says the poke looked unintentional at first
Aspinall explained that during the fight he assumed it was an accident, but watching the footage changed his view entirely.
“When it initially happened, I did not really think much of it. I thought, ‘Accidental eye poke.’ Whatever. Look, when I watch the fight back, that is when I get the gist of what is going on. The guy was trying to poke my eyes out all the way through that round. In multiple exchanges, in every exchange I could put him in danger, he had his fingers out pointing at my eyes. … The guy was cheating from the first second. The way he wanted to win in that fight was to have me compromised by cheating.”
He added: “I think he is a big cheater. Look at all his fights. Even Jon Jones himself, the GOAT himself, said that Ciryl Gane is a cheater and uses dirty tactics.”
Aspinall pushes back on critics and explains how the fight was unfolding
Aspinall addressed the fans accusing him of exaggerating the severity of the poke or seeking a way out.
“I felt like the fight was going okay, pretty much to plan,” Aspinall said. “There was a big notion in the media that I was just going to run through Gane. Look, I might look like an idiot. Sometimes, I might talk like an idiot. But when it comes to fighting, I know what I am talking about, and I know Ciryl Gane is a tough matchup for me. He is really good defensively. He has really good defense and moves very well on his feet. I knew that I had to stand in range and take a few punches from Ciryl in order to land my own.”
He continued with the portion you wanted fully included:
“We knew that. That was happening. I had a bloody nose. Any of my sparring partners know, you only have to look at that thing. … I’ve broken my nose like two or three times in my life. Touch my nose and it will bleed. These things happen in fights. Was he hitting me with a few jabs? Yes. Was I hitting him with a few shots as well? Yes. I thought it was going to be a five round fight. Go look at my pre fight stuff.”
A cageside doctor determined he could not continue, and Aspinall was sent to the hospital immediately after the stoppage.
Aspinall has not trained since UFC 321. UFC CEO Dana White has stated that an immediate rematch is expected once the champion is healthy, but Aspinall’s diagnosis indicates the timeline is uncertain.
This was Aspinall’s first appearance as undisputed heavyweight champion after Jon Jones vacated the belt earlier in the year, and his first bout since July 2024.
