Rogan Defends Aspinall On Eye Injury Critics

Joe Rogan has come to the defense of UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall over criticism the Brit received for stopping his fight with Ciryl Gane due to eye pokes.

Aspinall faced backlash on social media after his title defense against Gane, with some fans suggesting he quit or exaggerated the severity of the eye injuries. The champion has since undergone two eye surgeries, according to BJPenn.com.

Rogan Backs Aspinall's Decision To Stop Fight

On a recent episode of his podcast, Rogan criticized those who took issue with the stoppage. "He got a bad deal," Rogan said, per MMA Fighting. "He got really f*cked over for that fight. The way people got upset at him for stopping the fight with those eye pokes, to me that drove me crazy. 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 and he's had two eye surgeries since then."

Rogan said he blamed casual fans for the negative reaction and argued Aspinall deserved more understanding. He described Gane's finger going deep into Aspinall's eye and said the notion that the champion should have continued fighting with compromised vision was unreasonable.

The UFC commentator emphasized the stoppage was justified because the damage came from a foul rather than legal striking. Aspinall has since indicated he would be open to a rematch with Gane when the UFC is ready to book it.

Reported via:

• BJPenn — Joe Rogan defends Tom Aspinall against eye injury critics