‘Big cheater’ – Tom Aspinall breaks his silence on Ciryl Gane eye-poke as medical update provided

Tom Aspinall has provided a hilarious yet telling update on his UFC return.

The UFC heavyweight champion has made it clear he wishes to get his revenge on Ciryl Gane after his UFC 321 main event against the Frenchman ended in a no-contest due to a double eye poke.

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However, notes suggest that Aspinall has not yet been ‘medically cleared for combat activity,’ meaning the Briton’s comeback could be delayed.

After a whirlwind saga with MMA great Jon Jones, Aspinall made his first undisputed title defence in Abu Dhabi last month.

It was shaping up to be an all-time classic between the two heavyweights, until Gane’s fingers sunk deep into Aspinall’s eyes’ at the end of round one.

Aspinall said he couldn’t see out of his right eye, so was deemed unfit to continue and the fight was ruled a no-contest.

Aside from a brief hospital visit recorded on his YouTube channel, Aspinall has remained quiet on the situation until now, with some fans opting to clown the Brit by suggesting he ‘quit’ in the main event bout.

Jones trolled Aspinall online by adding an eye patch to his social media profile pictures, while ranked heavyweight Waldo Cortes-Acosta even took a swipe at Aspinall after being eye poked and beating the Englishman’s teammate Ante Delija this month.

But UFC legends like Alistair Overeem defended Aspinall, saying his opponent should’ve been disqualified for the foul.

Tom Aspinall eyes revenge on Ciryl Gane, but UFC champion not yet medically cleared

“Thanks for all the love, support and memes,” Aspinall wrote via Instagram on Sunday.

“[Middle finger emoji] the hate. Coming to get my revenge on the big cheater.”

Attached was a series of edits showing Aspinall depicted as prominent celebrities known for jokes about not being seen, including John Cena and Stevie Wonder.

It was clearly a light-hearted update from the 32-year-old, but he also included screenshots of medical notes indicating that genuine damage had been sustained.

In summary, Aspinall was diagnosed with bilateral traumatic Brown’s syndrome.

Brown’s syndrome is an issue with the muscle or tendon that controls your eyes’ movements, according to Cleveland Clinic.

As per Aspinall’s medical notes from the National Health Service (NHS), this indicated the heavyweight had ‘significant disruption to the superior oblique tendon-trochlear complex.’

The update also confirmed ‘orbital and soft-tissue trauma, double vision in positions of upgaze and lateral gaze,’ and a ‘minimally displaced fracture of the right medial orbital wall.’

Most importantly it added that Aspinall: “Must abstain from sparring, fighting or participating in any combat-related activity until full resolution of eye movement impairment and diplopia.”

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The medical notes, although the date of release is unknown, said the champion was ‘not yet medically cleared for combat activity,’ while his ‘symptoms remained unresolved as of late November 2025.’

UFC CEO Dana White has said he will look to book Aspinall vs Gane 2 as soon as possible, but the champion’s update means that fight may not come as quick as some fans would like.

Aspinall is expected to release a full reaction to the eye-poke drama on his YouTube channel on Sunday night.