After UFC 321, when a brutal eye poke from Ciryl Gane ended his title defense in a no-contest, Tom Aspinall wasn’t just dealing with a rare eye injury. He had to deal with something he had never experienced before: widespread criticism from fans suggesting he had faked the damage. That pressure led to one thing: he finally spoke.
What did Tom Aspinall say about UFC fans and social media?
In a recent one interview with Adam Catterall, the UFC heavyweight champion didn’t hold back about the comments that flooded his social media. More importantly, he explained why he bothered addressing it in the first place, even though he knows exactly who he’s not trying to convince.
“It’s been a good learning experience for me because you realize haters are going to hate, and that’s it,” Aspinall said. “I felt like I had to put something out there, because sure, there are idiots online and all that, but I also have a lot of fans, and I think I owe it to them to keep them informed about things.”
Aspinall isn’t trying to win over the people who call him a quitter on Reddit or Twitter. He’s heard it all, that his bloody nose meant he was looking for an escape, that the eye poke was overdone, that he’s milking the injury. Medical reports proving bilateral traumatic Brown’s syndrome? Critics said he was just complaining. His silence after the fight? They said he hid because he knew he had stopped. You can’t win with people like that.
What actually bothers him is that he makes his sincere supporters think he has abandoned them. The fans who stuck with him through injuries, long layoffs and the frustration of waiting for fights that never happened.
“I don’t feel like I have to explain it to anyone. I know what happened. I was there. I know what I felt. I know what I feel now,” he said. “It’s a big thing for me to have international fans and this outpouring of love. I feel like I have to keep those people informed, keep them informed of where I am with everything. The haters and the trolls online, whatever. I don’t explain it to them. I keep the people who care about me informed.”
But this is what he remembers most about the whole thing situation. He no longer spends any energy on social media at all. He gets love in real life, plenty of it, so why waste time scrolling through negativity?
“Social media is not real life. I get so much love in real life, why do I spend time scrolling social media when loads of people are saying negative things? It’s completely pointless,” he explained. “So I’ve learned to focus on real life, not the life that goes on behind the screen.”
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