Tom Aspinall criticized Ciryl Gane for the eye pokes that led to their fight ending as a no-contest, expressing frustration over his ongoing vision issues and upcoming surgery, while Gane remains uncertain about his next fight date.
Tom Aspinall recently lashed out at Ciryl Gane. Gane, the former interim UFC heavyweight champ, claimed he’s still waiting to hear about his next fight.
Their first encounter? A letdown. Gane accidentally poked Aspinall in the eye during UFC 321’s main event. The referee called it unintentional, but it left Aspinall unable to see, resulting in a no-contest.
On Tuesday, Gane shared a training photo with Tai Tuivasa. The caption? “Still no date or opponent yet… but we keep grinding and training hard before the holidays.”
Aspinall didn’t hold back. He’s still dealing with the eye poke aftermath and is heading for surgery.
“No shit there’s not a date yet,” Aspinall snapped on Instagram. “I’m not medically cleared to fight and about to have surgery thanks to your disgusting fingernails.”
His parting shot? “I’ll be back to smash your face in soon you cheat.”
Clearly, there’s bad blood. Aspinall’s vision issues continue after the eye poke ended his first title defense.
The road back has been tough for Aspinall. He was supposed to unify titles with Jon Jones, sidelining him for nearly a year.
Jones eventually bowed out, relinquishing his title and announcing retirement. Aspinall was then crowned undisputed champ and set to face Gane in October.
But those eye pokes? They cut the fight short. Now, Aspinall’s prepping for surgery with no clear return date. Yet, he’s eager to settle the score with Gane once he’s cleared.