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Brett Okamoto
UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall still is dealing with the effects of the eye poke he suffered in last weekend’s title bout against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321.
Aspinall (15-3) was hospitalized Saturday after Gane (13-2) accidentally poked both of his eyes during an exchange in the first round. Aspinall was unable to continue, and the bout was ruled the first no-contest in UFC title fight history.
On Tuesday, Aspinall’s father and head coach, Andy, provided a concerning update on the 32-year-old’s condition.
“It’s not good,” Andy said in a video posted to Aspinall’s YouTube channel. “His right eye, he can’t see anything. It’s just gray. [Doctors] tested him on words, and he just couldn’t see anything. His left eye is 50%. It went about four letters [down the chart] and then he couldn’t see letters. So, one is really, really blurry — and one is not working.”
Andy told ESPN on Sunday that his son avoided “bone damage” to the area, but the team is in the process of undergoing further tests this week. Aspinall has not released an official statement since the no-contest but was visibly distraught in the Octagon afterward.
The UFC intends to rebook the matchup between Aspinall and Gane, according to CEO Dana White. A potential date for that rebooking will have to wait, however, as Aspinall and his team account for the long-term impact of the foul.
“Hopefully, it will be all right,” the elder Aspinall said. “But it might not be.”