‘I’ve been there’…Belal Muhammad shares advice for Tom Aspinall after UFC 321 reaction | BJPenn.com

Former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad expects Tom Aspinall to experience a similar firestorm as he did after one of his previous fights.

UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall received huge criticism for not being able to continue fighting in his UFC 321 title fight against Ciryl Gane last weekend. Aspinall, making his first undisputed title defense, was accidentally poked in both eyes by Gane just minutes into the first round.

Aspinall continues to struggle with vision problems days after UFC 321 and underwent extensive testing in the days following the event. Several high-profile UFC names, including former UFC champions Aljamain Sterling and TJ Dillashaw, questioned the severity of Aspinall’s injuries, suggesting the heavyweight champion was “looking for a way out” of the fight.

While Aspinall faces criticism from fans and fellow fighters after UFC 321, another former titleholder understands what he’s going through.

Belal Muhammad expects Tom Aspinall to be booed after UFC 321 eyepoke debacle

In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad weighed in on Aspinall’s short-lived UFC 321 title fight.

“Tom Aspinall, you’re starting to feel what I felt. I’ve been there,” Mohammed told Aspinall. “It wasn’t your fault, the world and the fans are blaming you. Advice: stop worrying! Don’t worry about what these people say, stop trying to prove yourself. Because even with the proof that you go to the doctor and show that you get your eyes checked, a lot of doctors say, ‘Oh, it was nothing, you’ll be fine,’ so it doesn’t really help the case.”

“In the end. Do I think you did it on purpose? That you looked for a way out? No. If you have a finger in your eye and you can’t see it, you can’t open it. After the Leon [Edwards] I couldn’t open it for about 30 minutes, it was one of the hardest things…

“It wasn’t so much the pain, I thought it was over and the doctors would say, ‘Don’t go back to the sport and stay away from it,’” Muhammad continued. “Missing an opportunity. But Tom, you just gotta stop worrying about it…just embrace the boos.”