Rogan Blasts Fans Over Aspinall Eye Injury Backlash

Joe Rogan says fans who criticized Tom Aspinall for stopping his heavyweight title defense against Ciryl Gane last year got it wrong.

Aspinall's first championship defense at UFC 321 ended in a no contest after a severe eye poke left the British fighter unable to continue, sparking debate about whether he should have fought on. Rogan addressed the backlash on a recent episode of his podcast, telling Rico Verhoeven that Aspinall took an unfair beating from critics despite suffering a legitimate injury.

Rogan Says Aspinall "Got Really F*cked Over"

The longtime UFC commentator pushed back hard against the narrative that Aspinall quit, noting the champion later underwent two separate eye surgeries. "The way people got upset at him for stopping the fight with those eye pokes, to me that drove me crazy," Rogan said, per Sherdog. "What do you expect the guy to do? He's defending the heavyweight title. He gets poked in the eyes, and he can't f*cking see."

Rogan described the foul in graphic terms, saying Gane was knuckle-deep in Aspinall's eye. He placed blame squarely on casual fans for misunderstanding the severity of the injury and dismissed the idea that anyone should fight through such a foul. The fight should have been stopped exactly as it was, he said, because Aspinall was stopped by an illegal move rather than a legitimate strike.

Aspinall is expected to run the fight back with Gane after the Frenchman won the interim belt at UFC Freedom 250.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — Joe Rogan roasts fans' reaction to Tom Aspinall's eye injury