Tom Aspinall’s Return Meets Unexpected Hurdle in Abu Dhabi
Tom Aspinall’s highly anticipated comeback in Abu Dhabi didn’t unfold as he had hoped. His fight against Cyril Gane came to an abrupt halt when an accidental eye poke occurred.
In fact, late in the first round, Gane inadvertently struck Aspinall in both eyes, leading to a no-contest ruling in the main event. Aspinall later expressed that he couldn’t continue, which prompted a chorus of boos from the crowd and sparked debate among fans and analysts alike, including ex-UFC fighter Chael Sonnen.
“It’s illegal to poke someone in the eye, but let’s be honest—fighting with one eye isn’t unheard of,” Sonnen remarked during ESPN’s post-fight show. He pointed out the struggles of a fighter in their situation. “You’re the world heavyweight champion. Sometimes, you have to power through.”
Video evidence clearly indicated that Gane had both fingers in Aspinall’s eyes. Following the incident, Gane sat ringside with an ice pack on his right eye and shared his frustration in a post-fight interview.
“I got poked knuckle-deep in the eyeballs—why are you booing me? I can’t see! This is ridiculous. The fight was just starting,” he remarked emotionally.
Aspinall also added, “I could barely open my eyes.”
Some fans had wished to see Aspinall carry on, yet fellow fighter Sean O’Malley defended his decision, stressing the serious threat posed by Gane. “You’re up against a highly skilled kickboxer and you just had a severe eye injury. It would be tough to fight effectively.”
At the moment of the incident, Gane was clearly applying pressure, having already bloodied Aspinall’s nose before the accidental poke. Given it was a title fight, many—including spectators—hoped for a more definitive conclusion.
Aspinall, 32, last fought in July 2024, where he quickly dispatched Curtis Blaydes in the first minute. He had missed over a year due to a knee injury sustained during a fight in July 2022. Aspinall’s record stands at 15 wins, 3 losses, with an impressive 11 knockouts, and notably, he has never gone beyond the third round in any match.
