Aspinall made his first defense of his undisputed heavyweight title against Gane in October at UFC 321. Early in the fight, Gane had success when Aspinall bled from his nose. However, Gane then stabbed Aspinall in both eyes, and the champion was unable to continue, making the fight a no contest.
It was a disappointing ending to the fight and many fans claimed Aspinall wanted an out. However, he said this is far from the case as he knew going in he would be in for the toughest fight of his career.
Tom Aspinall fires back at fans who claimed he wanted out
“Ciryl Gane is a difficult stylistic match for me. People who think this is a way out are crazy, absolutely insane,” says Aspinall said to Ariel Helwani. “I expected a tough fight. I was prepared for the toughest fight of my life. Ciryl Gane is a very, very dangerous opponent. I wasn’t trying to knock him out – I was just trying to keep myself level for five rounds.”
People claim that Aspinall was looking for a way out due to the fact that his nose was bleeding. However, he said that his nose always bleeds when he is hit, and that he did not have trouble breathing or was tired as some claimed.
“My nose is absolutely fine. I’ve probably broken my nose three or four times in my life,” Aspinall said. “If you hit me in the nose, it’s going to bleed. But buddy, the casual, noob, hater MMA fan who sees a little blood and thinks that guy is losing a fight? It’s wild. These people must think I’m literally unstoppable if they believe that just because I have a bloody nose I’m going to lose a fight. I got hit with a few jabs and a few low kicks… You really think I’m looking for a way out? Come on, buddy.”
The focus now for Aspinall is to get healthy again as his vision is still an issue before he resumes training. Once he is ready to return, a rematch against Gane will follow.
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