UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has been diagnosed with a rare eye condition known as Brown's syndrome, following the controversial end to his title defence last October.
The Fight That Ended in a No Contest
The diagnosis comes after the Briton's UFC 321 main event against challenger Cyril Gane in Abu Dhabi was waved off as a no-contest. The anticlimactic finish occurred in the first round when Gane, attempting a punch, inadvertently raked his fingers across Aspinall's eyes.
A five-minute medical timeout was called, during which Aspinall was heard telling the doctor, 'I can't see.' Although the official stated he had no immediate concerns for the eye's globe, the fight was stopped with just one minute remaining in the allocated recovery time, allowing Aspinall to retain his title.
A Serious Diagnosis and Uncertain Recovery
After extensive testing, Aspinall shared a medical report on his Instagram page. The document details he has been suffering from double vision, reduced eye motility, impaired visual function, and substantial field loss.
The report warns that 'depending on clinical progression, targeted periocular steroid injections or surgical intervention... may be required if symptoms fail to resolve.' On his YouTube channel, the 32-year-old champion confirmed he is currently sidelined. 'I'm not in the gym training at the moment,' Aspinall said. 'I'm not doing anything MMA wise... I'm just following the doctor's orders right now.'
Anger and Accusations Follow the Injury
In a video from his hospital visit after the fight, an emotional and angry Aspinall questioned Gane's actions. 'All that training for that,' he said. 'What the f*** is he doing? He got warned twice before it... and he f***ing did it again.'
Gane, however, has denied any intent, drawing on his own experience of being poked in the eye during a fight with Derrick Lewis. 'I didn't do it on purpose,' the French fighter stated. 'I know what it's like... So I'm not going to say, he's a liar.'
Aspinall described the severity of the poke, saying, 'I could feel how deep it was in my eye. It feels like the back of my eyeball is hurting.' While keen for a rematch with Gane, the champion insists it will only happen when he is fully fit, leaving his immediate fighting future uncertain as he focuses on recovery from this rare and debilitating condition.
