As if returning from a fourteen-month layoff wasn’t challenging enough, Tom Aspinall also missed the chance to defend his undisputed heavyweight crown in the UFC 321 main event. The fight against Ciryl Gane was stopped just 4 minutes and 35 seconds into the opening round after Gane accidentally stabbed Aspinall in both eyes, in what many fans jokingly called his best Jon Jones impression. Referee Jason Herzog immediately intervened and called for medical attention as the Englishman screamed in pain.
After being examined by two ringside doctors, Aspinall was deemed unable to continue and the fight was declared a no-contest. While eye pokes have been a recurring problem in MMA for years, the UFC 321 incident has reignited the debate over fighter safety and the need for preventative measures. Interestingly, Joe Rogan has previously discussed this issue on his podcast and suggested possible solutions to minimize such accidents, a conversation that has become relevant again in the wake of the Abu Dhabi debacle.
Joe Rogan called for a permanent glove redesign in September 2024 to eliminate eye pokes in the Octagon
In February 2025, Henry Cejudo got a brutal eye poke during his fight against Song Yadong midway through round 3. The former double champion immediately complained of the pain in his corner and later called it the worst injury of his entire career.
It was around that time that a clip from a September 2024 episode of The Joe Rogan Experience trended on social media. The clip showed the UFC commentator offering a practical solution to the problem that has plagued the sport since 1993. with the latest incident occurring at UFC 321it has become relevant again.
During the day JRE MMA Show #163 with Din ThomasRogan explained: “I keep saying it, but I think they should cover those fingertips. You must cover your fingers. There is no reason not to cover the fingers like a bad glove.”
He added: “Just have a piece of leather that goes over the fingertips so you have one thing. It won’t invade your wrestling, and it won’t change your striking. It won’t change anything.”
Rogan explained that this design would significantly reduce the risk of serious eye damage. If a fighter were poked, the round or blunt surface of the glove would make contact instead of a bare finger, causing a less dangerous surface-level impact.
He elaborated, “At least this way if you get stabbed in the eye, you get something blunt, and you don’t get something that ends up in your eyeball.”
Rogan concluded with: “Have them all covered and have a soft foam edging over them. So even if you get poked in the eyes, you’re not going to get something individual that goes ball deep into your eyeball, which is what you’re getting now. You’re going to get fucking fingernails!”
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He further added that a soft, foam-filled edge at the top would reduce the chance of serious damage because the padding, not the fingers, would absorb the contact. Rogan emphasized that the current glove design often leads to dangerous situations where fighters accidentally poke their opponents in the eyes with their fingers or even their nails.
The UFC’s inability to implement Trevor Whitman’s ONX glove design
For the inexperienced, the UFC had already introduced new gloves in April 2024 to help reduce eye stinging. But UFC Vegas 102 saw the promotion return to the old design. Rogan had previously suggested adopting coach Trevor Whitman’s ONX gloves, which many believe are a safer and more effective alternative.
Just a reminder that Trevor Wittman has designed a better MMA glove that turns the fingers in, but UFC won’t use them because they want to own the glove design without paying for it #UFCVegas21 pic.twitter.com/jS6Ihnp6QT
– Mma Mania (@hosty Cruis Association March 14, 2021
However, Dana White and his team were unable to reach a deal with Whitman to bring them into the promotion. This problem has been seen repeatedly over the years: of Belal Muhammad’s gruesome injury against Leon Edwards in 2021 to Travis Browne’s infamous look at Fabricio Werdum at UFC 203.
And now, in 2025, it was the first time a UFC title fight ended in a no-contest, with Aspinall on the wrong side of proceedings. Although Dana White has not commented on design changes, a revamp is desperately needed.
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