After UFC 321, another former UFC fighter questioned Tom Aspinall.
Aspinall was the talk of the mixed martial arts world this past weekend, but perhaps not for the reason he wanted to be. In the first round of his heavyweight title defense against Cyrille Gane at UFC 321, Gane gave Aspinall a pretty bad eye poke, and Aspinall was unable to continue, resulting in a no-contest and many fans were dissatisfied. Crowds of former fighters have since come out on both sides of the incident, either supporting Aspinall as the victim of the foul or questioning his decision not to continue the fight. And former champion TJ Dillashaw falls firmly into the latter category.
“Tom Aspinall is one of those guys who punches with power, charges in and knocks you out (type of player), and Cyril Gane is circling on the outside of his foot and picking his shots,” Dillashaw said. jackson podcast. “We’re back in an open stance and you can see him lining up his power on the outside and approaching the jab. He was just a little bit more calculated than Tom Aspinall, and I truly believe that’s why Aspinall couldn’t come back from that eye poke.”
Although it was early in the fight, Gaine performed well in his first fight with Aspinall, leading some to accuse the heavyweight champion of looking for a shot at a struggling opponent. And while Dillashaw acknowledged Gaene fouled Aspinall, he doubted the severity of the injury.
“First and foremost, this was a foul, and the responsibility lies with Cyril Gane,” Dillashaw said. “But from the optics and looks, his eyes were closed when he was poked. He said he couldn’t see, and he wouldn’t open them to see if he could see. Obviously, I don’t know. I’m not there.”
“But looking at the pictures afterward, his eye looks fine. I’ve seen someone put a whole finger in his eye and they keep fighting. So I don’t know. It’s all speculation, but I think he took the easier route. No contest. He can come back and the reward is $3 million. Come back and do it again.”
That seems to be the plan at this point. UFC CEO Dana White said the promotion intends to book a rematch between Aspinall and Gane as soon as possible. And according to Dillashaw, it worked out well for Aspinall, and he might be better prepared next time.
Asked what he underestimated about Aspinall, Dillashaw said, “His athleticism and how well he can keep distance, control distance and keep hitting shots.” “Aspinall has never been eliminated in the first round. He’ll knock you over, he’ll beat you with all his might, he’ll send you out. That wasn’t his intention, but there was a way for him to still be champion and still get paid and come back.”
“I don’t know. But optically, the way he was poked with his eyes closed, it was like he wasn’t even trying to open them to really see. Like the doctor, his eyes looked okay. They just didn’t look good. Of course, I don’t want people fighting disabled people, but at the same time, it just seems too shady.”
Dillashaw is a former two-time UFC bantamweight champion, but was infamously stripped of his title in 2019 after testing positive for EPO. He will retire from MMA in 2022.
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It’s funny how Dillashaw says Aspinall took the easy way out. Also, when this guy fought Arjo with one arm and wasted everyone’s time without telling anyone, he compromised by saying he didn’t want people to fight. What a guy.
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