‘It’s bad’…Tom Aspinall’s father shares cryptic update on gruesome eye injuries suffered at UFC 321

UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall’s father shared a discouraging update on his son’s eye injuries suffered at UFC 321.

Tom Aspinall’s first undisputed heavyweight title defense came to an abrupt halt as his fight with Ciryl Gane was ruled a no-contest just minutes into the UFC 321 headliner. Gane accidentally poked both of Aspinall’s eyes as they exchanged strikes, leading to Aspinall losing vision and being deemed unfit to continue competing.

Some fans, pundits, and fellow fighters questioned whether or not Aspinall’s injuries were severe enough to warrant the fight being ruled a no-contest. In the hours after UFC 321, Aspinall has shared several updates and heavily criticized Gane for the infractions.

While Aspinall’s initial diagnosis was positive, his father shared a different story on social media.

Tom Aspinall struggling to follow light, read words days after UFC 321 eye pokes

In a recent video uploaded to YouTube, Andy Aspinall shared a disturbing update on his son’s eye injuries.

“We got an appointment yesterday morning with a friend of ours…basically said ‘It’s bad, it’s not good’. His left eye is still a bit closed, his right eye he still can’t see, it’s just gray. They tested him with some words, and he couldn’t see anything. Went down about four lines and couldn’t see the letters,” Aspinall said.

“So one’s really, really gray and the other one’s still not working. His good eye isn’t following light properly, and the muscles weren’t working strong enough to [follow]. So we have to have additional tests this week, and then a CT scan to see if the bones are alright.”

The UFC matchmakers are hoping to schedule an Aspinall vs. Gane rematch for a later date, potentially for the promotion’s first Paramount+ event in January. But Aspinall’s injuries could potentially delay those plans, and depending on the results of additional testing, an interim title bout might be a solution the matchmakers choose to explore.