UFC 321’s controversial episode has been addressed again by Dana White, who offered clarification on his previous comments.
The relationship between the UFC and Tom Aspinall has appeared strained ever since the incident in Abu Dhabi.
Ciryl Gane’s eye poke against the Briton led to the UFC 321 main event ending in a no contest, leaving fans without a definitive result from the year’s first heavyweight title fight.
In the immediate aftermath, some fans questioned Aspinall for not continuing, and White added fuel to that fire with comments that seemed to echo those doubts.
Dana White denies criticising Tom Aspinall
Aspinall was not impressed by White’s comments and addressed them, along with other topics related to his first title defence, in a video on his YouTube channel.
At the UFC 323 post-fight press conference in Las Vegas, the UFC boss responded to the Briton’s complaints.
He pushed back against any claims that he had criticised the champion.
“I get it. I don’t remember exactly what I said…that I think his eyes were okay?” White began by saying.
“Here’s the thing, I know Tom said I haven’t even talked to him, but we have people all over him right now, checking up on him, making sure he’s good, (asking) if he needs any help or a specialist.
“I am no doctor. I am just saying what I’ve heard. It wasn’t said in a way, ‘Oh, I think he’s fine!’ I said, ‘I think Tom’s eyes are good, he’s gonna take some time, heal…’
“I wasn’t saying anything negative toward him. I think that things can be taken out of context, or he didn’t see what I said.
“Never once did I say anything negative about him in a derogatory way,” the businessman concluded.
Tom Aspinall accused of ‘whining’ after UFC 321 debacle
Plenty of people are standing up for Aspinall, pushing back against those blaming him rather than Gane for how the UFC 321 main event ended.
The Salford native eventually responded to the criticism in a YouTube video, but not everyone was happy with how he addressed it.
For instance, former UFC fighter Ben Askren reacted by calling it ‘whining’ and said it was not a good look for the champion.
Aspinall’s return timeline is still unclear, especially given the severity of the injury he suffered from Gane’s eye poke.
In that context, former fighter Josh Thomson has suggested that an interim heavyweight title bout could be arranged between Gane and Alex Pereira, allowing the division to continue moving forward.
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