Tom Aspinall Has Eyes on DQ, Dana White has Eyes on Jon Jones for Tom Aspinall
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Las Vegas, NV (October 28th, 2025)– According to interim UFC World Heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, who is seeking to have his No-Contest bout overturned to a win by disqualification, “How is he (Ciryl Gane) not disqualified after that? People started booing me like it’s my fault. I got poked in the eye, mate. I just trained for 14 months. Trust me, I didn’t want somebody’s finger knuckle deep in my eye. That’s the last thing I wanted.”
Less than 48 hours after 15-3 Tim Aspinall’s UFC World heavyweight MMA title defense ended in a no contest at 4:35 of the first round of his match with Ciryl Gane, 13-2, Team MMA Factory, Paris, France, after an accidental double eye poke, on Saturday, October 25, 2025, at UFC 321, Etihad Arena, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, preliminary resulted have revealed Apsinall incurred blurred vision in the right eye but no eye trauma.
Former UFC World Heavyweight champion Jon Jones expressed a desire to fight Alex Pereira for the UFC light heavyweight title instead of Tom Aspinall for the UFC’s potential 2026 televised mega event at The White House. UFC head Dana White continues to consistently state that Jones must fight Aspinall if he continues his career in the UFC. Despite Jones’s interest in Pereira, Dana White has been adamant that the mandatory next fight for Jones is against the interim heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall.
Aspinall, Team Kaobon, Salford, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom, could receive a 180-day professional fighting suspension as a precautionary measure from UFC medical officials after reexamination and the final ophthalmological report is issued, unless the finding is overturned later on by a subsequent medical clearance. Jones could be his future.
According to Newsweek, reports from the attending ringside physician showed no signs of external trauma to the right eye, but noted blurred vision and burning pain when the right eye was exposed to light. Aspinall was transported to a Dubai hospital following the no-contest MMA title bout, with doctors conducting multiple tests on both eyes, and his right eye was bandaged shut. The UFC will conduct further vision tests in the UK on both of Aspinall’s eyes before issuing a final ruling on a suspension. The Jon Jones fight appears to be the UFC’s cash cow calling card for 2026, and Dana White is not backing down from his plans.
Dana White also made some controversial statements about the eye poke at the UFC 321 Post Fight Press Conference…
“I feel the way everybody feels,” he said. “Great showing, s***y ending, you know? I think that after the Jones fight, a lot of people wrote Ciryl Gane off, he looked damn good tonight. It was good, it looked like we were in for a few rounds and it was going to be a good fight.”
Asked about a potential rematch, he said: “Total pain in the a** but yeah. It’s unfortunate it ended the way that it did and yes, I think that there probably will be a lot more interest in the rematch after [Gane] had Tom bloodied up and Tom didn’t want to continue in the fight.”
“So the rematch is very interesting,” added White. “Right here, right now, being honest – I never do this when it comes to talking about what next fight is going to happen – the rematch is what makes sense.”
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