Should Tom Aspinall Have Continued?

Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane ended in a no-contest following an accidental eye poke, as we look at whether the fight should have continued. 

Aspinall could no longer continue after an accidental eye poke from Gane in both eyes brought the fight to a halt. Tom had plenty of expectation heading into this, given it was his first title defence. There had also been much made about Jon Jones potentially ducking him, although Bones’ decision to reverse his retirement has raised suggestions that fans could finally see that fight. Tom was understandably frustrated, while Gane was disappointed, as they were greeted by a chorus of boos once the referee ended the fight. Chael Sonnen and Anthony Smith are of the view that Tom should have continued, but did Aspinall make the right decision to stop?

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“Being poked in the eye is illegal Brendan, but to fight with one eye is very common. The opponent is trying to hit your eye; he’s trying to bust you up and make your nose bleed. So that part of it, it does have a question mark for guys like Anthony and I. We are trying to be polite. We are trying to show grace, but in all fairness, you’re the heavyweight champion of the world. You’ve got to fight with one eye at times.

“I thought the fight was turning out to be a little bit harder than perhaps Tom (Aspinall) expected. I have one concern with Tom, and this is not his fault, but it is because he’s so darn good. But the reality is he’s finished six guys in the first round. He’s never been to a third round of a fight just for an example. So the question is how are you going to respond when things get tough?,” Sonnen said

“I’m not saying it’s Tom’s fault. And I’m not going to pretend that I know how bad it is or isn’t. I think Chael made a poetic point that you have to be used to or willing to fight with one eye. I did it in Singapore. You never say ‘I can’t see’ if you want to continue a fight,” Smith said

The Decision

The concern was the immediate and long-term health of Aspinall. A fighter is given up to five minutes to recover. However, continuing a fight when vision is compromised is an untenable position for a fighter and a major safety risk. It exposes the fighter to potentially career-ending or life-altering damage. If Aspinall had attempted to continue, he would have been unable to defend himself properly, turning the contest into a high-risk mismatch. Ultimately, the decision to stop was the right one, both under the official rules and from a perspective of fighter safety. The rules for an accidental foul resulting in injury are designed precisely for this situation.