"To fight with one eye is very common" - Chael Sonnen believes Tom Aspinall should have continued at UFC 321 despite brutal eye poke

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Chael Sonnen recently offered his thoughts on Tom Aspinall's eye injury at UFC 321, implying that the Brit should have continued fighting.

Aspinall's first title defense of his undisputed heavyweight crown in the main event of UFC 321 ended on a devastating note as his opponent Ciryl Gane unintentionally poked him in the eye at the end of the first round. The Brit was in a lot of pain, leaving him unable to continue. As a result, referee in charge Jason Herzog ruled it out as a no contest, sparking mixed reactions from the MMA community.

During the post-fight show, Sonnen took aim at Aspinall for not fighting despite being the world's heavyweight champion:

''Being poked in the eye is illegal Brendan, but to fight with one eye is very common. The opponent is trying to hit your eye; he’s trying to bust you up and make your nose bleed. So that part of it, it does have a question mark for guys like Anthony and I. We are trying to be polite. We are trying to show grace, but in all fairness, you’re the heavyweight champion of the world. You’ve got to fight with one eye at times.''

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He continued:

''I thought the fight was turning out to be a little bit harder than perhaps Tom [Aspinall] expected. I have one concern with Tom, and this is not his fault, but it is because he’s so darn good. But the reality is he’s finished six guys in the first round. He’s never been to a third round of a fight just for an example. So the question is how are you going to respond when things get tough?”

Check out Chael Sonnen's comments below:

In his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier, Aspinall expressed disappointment, claiming that he couldn't have done anything because he was injured.

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About the author

Swagat Kumar Jena

Swagat is a dynamic MMA writer with a total experience of a little less than a year, which includes time in retail and sports journalism. He holds an MBA degree.

Swagat fell in love with the sport after watching the iconic grudge match between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 in early 2015. Nate Diaz holds a special place in his heart for the Stockton native’s entertaining fan-friendly style and ability to deliver exciting fights regardless of the opponent.

In terms of rule changes in MMA, Swagat advocates for making scores public after each round, adding transparency to judging decisions.

Swagat prioritizes accuracy and relevance while writing and conducts thorough research to ensure the content is fresh and reliable.

He enjoys playing football and painting during his free time.

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