Dana White expressed uncertainty over how Tom Aspinall’s UFC 321 fight unfolded on October 25th. During a press conference following the Abu Dhabi event, White addressed the eye poke Aspinall suffered from former interim champion Ciryl Gane. The fight ended as a no contest after Aspinall indicated he could not see.
White acknowledged the complexity of the situation, highlighting that only Aspinall knows why he stopped. “He had Tom bloodied up, and Tom didn’t want to continue in the fight. Only Tom knows what happened. Could he see, couldn’t he see, could he continue? Only he knows that,” White said.
A rematch promises intrigue
White noted that a rematch between Aspinall and Gane would attract significant attention. Ciryl Gane entered the fight as an underdog, but his performance exceeded expectations and challenged pre-fight perceptions. White recognized the anticlimactic nature of the main event but praised Gane’s effort.
“I feel the way everybody feels — great showing, disappointing ending. After the Jon Jones fight, many doubted Ciryl Gane, but he looked strong tonight,” White said.
Dana White calls re-booking a “total pain”
While White sees the rematch as logical, he admitted organizing it frustrates him. “It looked like we were in for a few rounds, and it was going to be a good fight. I can’t make people fight. You can’t make somebody continue if they feel injured,” he explained.
“Yeah, total pain in the a**, but the rematch makes sense. Both fighters are ready, aside from whatever’s wrong with his eye. Neither has major injuries. We’ll make it happen as soon as possible,” White added.
The UFC boss emphasized that the rematch is necessary to settle questions from the first fight. Fans can expect the heavyweight title clash to return to the octagon soon.
