Dana White isn’t trying to criticize Tom Aspinall, or the injury he suffered, after an eye poke from Ciryl Gane prematurely ended his first title defense as undisputed UFC heavyweight champion.
“I didn’t continue, and I’ll tell you why I didn’t continue: because I’m not a f*cking dummy,” Aspinall said. “I’m not going to go out there and fight one of the best strikers in the world if I can’t see. I know, as an MMA fighter, things are going to happen in the fight that compromise you.
“I ain’t going to fight if I can’t see anything because of a foul. If it’s a legal move, we have to fight through it. That’s what we do as fighters. But when it’s a foul, why am I going to put my health at risk when I cannot see at all?”
In the aftermath of UFC 323 on Saturday, White offered his own response and promised he was never attempting to disparage Aspinall or his decision not to continue after the eye poke obviously affected his vision.
“I get it,” White said at the UFC 323 post-fight press conference. “I don’t remember exactly what I said. What did I say? I think his eyes are OK? I know Tom said I haven’t even talked to him and all this stuff. We have people all over him right now, checking up on him, making sure he’s good, does he need any help or any specialists. I’m no doctor. I’m just saying what I’ve heard. It wasn’t said in a way [to be detrimental], ‘I said I think he’s fine.’ It wasn’t like that. I said I think Tom’s eyes are good, he’s going to take some time, heal and come back. That’s all I said.
“I wasn’t saying anything negative towards him. I think things can be taken out of context or he didn’t see what I said because I don’t even remember what the f*ck I said. But never once did I say anything negative about him or in a derogatory way.”
As part of his update, Aspinall revealed he still hasn’t regained full vision and doctors haven’t been able to give him an exact timeline when he’ll be cleared to fight again.
White knows that Aspinall is surely anxious to get back in the octagon again to defend his title and settle some unfinished business with Gane after the disappointing ending to their first encounter.
“I’m sure he’s upset and fired up,” White said. “He’ll get better and we’ll get him back in there.”
Read the full article here
