Alexander Volkanovski defends Tom Aspinall from harsh criticism amid eye issues

Alexander Volkanovski has come to the defense of Tom Aspinall amid the UFC Heavyweight Champion’s eye problems.

Aspinall hasn’t been seen in action since he was double poked in the eyes by Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 back in Oct. 2025. The titleholder recently underwent surgery in an attempt to correct vision problems stemming from the accidental foul that led to a no contest.

Some fans online have slammed Aspinall, believing he’s been milking the eye issues despite the fact that he needed to have a procedure. Volkanovski believes the criticism has been extreme and he took to his YouTube channel to weigh in (via MMAJunkie).

“I think everyone’s being pretty harsh on him,” Volkanovski said. “Eye stuff can mess with you quite a bit. A lot of people expect your eye to be falling out. Simple retina tears and stuff can be a big problem. My first fight with Diego Lopes, I had a few things going on. To be quite honest, I still have things playing up in my eye because of it.

“I’m lucky enough that it’s not too serious, but I’ve still got things that happen in my eye because of it. The knuckle went in the eye, not much in it. This stuff can mess with you. I still see flashes on the sides of my eyes. I’m giving you too much information here, but I’m still seeing flashes all the time. A lot of people are just like, ‘Ah, it’s not falling out, you can see again, it’s fine.’ That’s not the case. You could have issues, and you could be one hit away from losing vision.”

There’s no word on when Aspinall will be ready to return or if the surgery will lead to a full recovery. Alex Pereira recently vacated the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, and now speculation has run rampant on “Poatan” potentially challenging for the heavyweight gold. The question is, will Pereira be meeting Aspinall inside the Octagon?

Are you one of the Tom Aspinall critics or do you think the criticism is unwarranted? Share your opinion in the comments below.