Tom Aspinall is gaining supporters for his decision to stop fighting after getting eye poked.
Aspinall looked to defend his heavyweight title for the first time against Ciryl Gane in the main event at UFC 321 last weekend in Abu Dhabi. The fight came to a halt as Gane poked Aspinall in both eyes late in the first round. Aspinall was unable to recover despite taking four minutes, and the fight was declared a no contest.
Aspinall’s decision to stop fighting has the MMA world divided. While some, like Chael Sonnen and Anthony Smith, believe Aspinall should have continued, Abdelaziz defended the heavyweight champ’s decision.