Aspinall-Gane rematch planned after accidental eye poke no contest

Tom Aspinall retained the undisputed UFC heavyweight title on a technicality after his first defense against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi was halted late in the opening round on Saturday when an accidental double eye poke left Aspinall unable to continue. Referee Jason Herzog called for ringside medical staff and, after a five minute evaluation, declared the bout a no contest at 4:35 of round one.

Video replays showed two of Gane’s fingers make contact with Aspinall’s eyes during a standing exchange. Aspinall told cage‑side doctors he could not see, and was later taken to a local hospital for further evaluation. His father and coach said doctors have since found one eye is still not working and the other remains impaired; further tests including a CT scan are scheduled. UFC medical personnel typically impose a precautionary medical suspension pending specialist clearance, and officials indicated the length of any layoff will depend on those results.

Both fighters and officials described the incident as accidental. Gane apologized in his postfight remarks and in a subsequent press conference said he felt he had started the fight well and that the eye poke was not...