Ex-middleweight champion hits out at Tom Aspinall after UFC 321 no-contest controversy

Following his no-contest against Ciryl Gane last October, Aspinall has faced a fair amount of criticism. The UFC 321 main event concluded prematurely when he was unable to recover from a double eye poke.

Even after the heavyweight champ shared medical reports showing he had suffered significant injuries, some fans still felt he could have continued. Strickland appears to be among those doubting the Briton’s decision.

“Aspinall sucks, dude,” Strickland said, before Adin Ross asked if the injury was genuine.

Strickland then replied: “No, he took the way out. 100 percent.”

He also compared it to his own fight experience: “You should’ve seen when I fought Nassourdine [Imavov]. My eye was [messed up]. I looked like f—ing 28 Days Later.”

Sean Strickland eyes comeback after defeat

Strickland has been out of action since his loss to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 312.

The 34-year-old was thoroughly outclassed, dropping every round and moving to 0-2 against ‘Still Knocks’ in middleweight title fights.

He will look to get his career back on track when he headlines UFC Houston on February 21, over a year after his last fight.

Standing between Strickland and a potential grudge match with new middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev is Anthony Hernandez.

‘Fluffy’ is riding an eight-fight win streak in the UFC, but facing ‘Tarzan’ will be a significant step-up in competition.