Former UFC champion Aljamain Sterling responded to fans who criticized him for his strong stance on Tom Aspinall’s eye injury at UFC 321.
UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall’s first undisputed title defense ended in controversy after Ciryl Gane accidentally double poked him in the eye just minutes after the fight at UFC 321. After taking a full five minutes to try and recover, Aspinall was deemed unable to compete further after telling cageside doctors that he could not see.
It was a tragic end to what was largely a lackluster card Saturday in Abu Dhabi. Outside of the main card wins over Mackenzie Dern and Umar Nurmagomedov, there weren’t many memorable moments at UFC 321.
Aspinall came under fire from fans, pundits and some of his fellow fighters for choosing not to continue competing after the eye injury. One of those critics was Aljamain Sterling, who questioned the severity of Aspinall’s injury and hinted at his premature retirement.
Fans scorched Sterling on social media following his statement. Hours later, Sterling went online to double down on his position.
Aljamain Sterling: ‘Don’t be mad at me’ over Tom Aspinall’s UFC 321 taping
In a recent follow-up video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Sterling responded to fans’ reaction to his Aspinall criticism.
“I made some comments about the fight with Aspinall and how he handled the foul situation, and I think my opinion still stands,” Sterling said.
“Yes, you can say that because I was fouled and you think I faked an injury, but I didn’t. We clarified this several times. Poor rehydration, it felt like crap, I got shot in the head and I barely knew where I was at that moment. Yes, it looked like I did something. I can understand that. But I have no say in that.”
“The fact remains: When Tommy was stabbed in the eye, the first thing he said was, ‘I can’t see.’ We all know that when you’re fouled, you can’t say those words or the referee is apt to stop the fight,” Sterling continued. “That’s just the way the rules are made. Don’t be angry with me.” (h/t MMA junkie)
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