Dana White expressed uncertainty over the conclusion of Tom Aspinall’s UFC 321 fight on October 25th. During a post-fight press conference in Abu Dhabi, White addressed the eye poke Aspinall suffered from former interim champion Ciryl Gane. The bout ended as a no contest after Aspinall indicated he could not see.
White emphasized 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.
Rematch could draw big attention
White highlighted that a rematch between Aspinall and Gane would create major interest. Ciryl Gane entered the fight as an underdog, but his performance defied expectations and surprised many observers. White acknowledged the anticlimactic ending but praised Gane’s showing.
“I feel the way everybody feels — great showing, disappointing ending. After the Jon Jones fight, many wrote Ciryl Gane off, but he looked strong tonight,” White explained.
Organizing the rematch frustrates Dana White
White admitted that arranging the rematch presents challenges. “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 force someone to continue if they feel injured,” he said.
“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.
White concluded that the rematch is necessary to settle lingering questions from UFC 321. Fans can expect the heavyweight title clash to return to the octagon soon.
