Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
Francis Ngannou have defended Tom Aspinall Eye hit by Cyril Gane His UFC title fight ended suddenly,
in the main event of ufc In October 321, Aspinall was defending the undisputed heavyweight title for the first time when Gane struck him twice in the eyes – both times in the first round. The latter blow affected both of Aspinall’s eyes, and although he was given five minutes to recover, he could not continue.
The match in Abu Dhabi was declared a no contestAspinall was taken to hospitalAnd UFC President Dana White said a rematch would be booked as soon as the opportunity arose. Although it is Understands Aspinall is still suffering the consequences of the foul.
john jones last week The 32-year-old criticized Aspinall for not continuing the fightHowever, the American received backlash for his comments; Jones opted to retire and vacate the UFC heavyweight title this summer rather than face Aspinall, who was the interim champion at the time and Jones’ natural next challenger.
Meanwhile, Ngannou, another former UFC heavyweight champion, has defended Aspinall over his decision to call off the fight against 35-year-old Gane.
“I think that eye poke made a lot of news, more than the fight itself – even more than the announcement of the fight,” Ngannou, 39, said. tmz“It was a very controversial feeling.
“I think basically there was a lot of disappointment from the fans. [They] Very excited to see the results, but there was definitely a wink and a compromising approach for Tom.
“Getting hit in the eye isn’t like you get kicked in the back and you can recover and come back. It doesn’t feel like pain; it compromises your vision. And if you’re doing combat sports with compromised vision, that’s no good at all.
“What if your vision is compromised, you keep going and – maybe because of it – something happens. You lose the battle, the same people will say how stupid you were, ‘You should have stopped, blah blah blah.’
“So, I guess it’s just fan frustration, though one was poked in the eye [which] Must be respected. Of course not intentionally, but the eye was hit which definitely caused damage and affected vision.”
During Ngannou’s tenure as UFC heavyweight champion from 2021 to 2022, the Cameroonian pushed for a fight with Jones, but the latter opted to stay on the sidelines instead. Jones vacated the light-heavyweight belt in 2020, but did not return to the Octagon until 2023, when he submitted Gane to win the heavyweight title vacated by Ngannou, who had moved to boxing at the time.
Before losing boxing matches to Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, Ngannou defeated Gane to retain the UFC heavyweight belt in 2022 in his final fight with the promotion. He then returned to mixed martial arts with the Professional Fighters League in 2024 and won more gold medals by stopping Renan Ferreira in the first round.
38-year-old Jones is now trying to return to the game Potential fight with UFC light-heavyweight king Alex PereiraPossibly at the White House in June.
However, the American’s decision not to fight Ngannou and Aspinall is seen by many fans and pundits as a blemish on Jones’ legacy, which has also been marred by several failed drug tests and run-ins with the law.