The UFC heavyweight division fell into acquainted chaos at UFC 321 when champion Tom Aspinall was unable to proceed after a double eye poke from Ciryl Gane ended their title bout at 4:35 of the primary spherical. The struggle was declared a no contest, marking the primary time a UFC title struggle has ended this manner on account of an unintended foul. When UFC President Dana White addressed the media afterward, his response was telling: “Simply occurs. Yeah. I imply, it doesn’t matter what you do with the glove, I imply, they’re going to occur.”
UFC 321
The statement represents the UFC’s position on an issue that has plagued the sport for years. Eye pokes occur approximately once every 14 fights and delay bouts for an average of 50 seconds, according to research from the UFC Performance Institute. Yet despite the frequency and severity of these fouls, the promotion has signaled it will do nothing to address the root causes.
The UFC 321 incident was notably brutal. Gane inadvertently poked each of Aspinall’s eyes concurrently whereas throwing a punch. The champion was given the customary five-minute restoration interval, however after 4 minutes he was nonetheless telling the ringside doctor “I can’t see.” Aspinall was subsequently transported to the hospital. When followers within the Etihad Area booed the stoppage, a pissed off Aspinall responded: “I simply obtained poked knuckle-deep within the eyeball. What am I presupposed to do about it? I didn’t do the poke, I can’t see!”
White confirmed a rematch will be scheduled once Aspinall receives medical clearance, calling it “a ache within the ass, however sure.” The UFC president additionally praised Gane’s efficiency earlier than the foul, noting “after the Jon Jones struggle, lots of people wrote Gane off. He seemed rattling good tonight.”
UFC Gloves
The dismissive nature of White’s comments stands in contrast to mounting criticism from fighters, analysts, and the wider MMA community. When asked what it would take to make an eye poke intentional and what could be done to fix the problem, White responded: “Who the f— knows? Who gives a s—? What are you going to do?” He then referenced the UFC’s failed glove redesign, stating “no matter what you do with the glove, I mean, they’re gonna happen.”
That glove redesign represents one of many UFC’s most up-to-date makes an attempt to handle eye pokes. In April 2024, the promotion unveiled new gloves coined the “3Eight/5Eight” that had been designed to supply extra mobility and adaptability whereas lowering eye pokes and hand accidents. The gloves debuted at UFC 302 in June 2024 and featured a redesigned curvature supposed to maintain fighters’ fingers in a extra pure position. Nonetheless, after simply 5 months and 21 occasions, the UFC deserted the brand new gloves and reverted to the unique design in November 2024.
The reason for the switch back was fighter complaints about comfort and performance, not eye poke statistics. White acknowledged “there were a lot of complaints. We originally created these gloves to stop eye pokes. We had good intentions with them. They didn’t work out, people weren’t happy with them.” Research showed knockout rates dropped by 8.5 percent with the new gloves compared to the old design. The move back to the classic gloves became permanent, with White stating “the new gloves are now the old gloves.”
Trevor Wittman, the renowned MMA coach and founding father of ONX Sports activities, designed gloves particularly engineered to forestall fighters from extending their fingers towards opponents’ eyes whereas sustaining hand mobility for grappling. A number of fighters who examined the Wittman gloves praised their effectiveness and luxury. Nonetheless, the UFC reportedly wished to buy the patent for Wittman’s design fairly than enter a licensing settlement, and Wittman declined the provide. The gloves have by no means been utilized in UFC competitors.
Punishment
The enforcement aspect of the attention poke downside stays equally problematic. Underneath present Unified Guidelines of MMA, eye pokes are categorized as both intentional or unintentional on the referee’s discretion. An unintentional eye poke usually ends in a warning, with level deductions not often occurring till a fighter commits a number of fouls. Nonetheless, eye pokes are virtually by no means deemed intentional.
The lax enforcement has created what many see as a strategic advantage for fighters willing to push the boundaries. 45-fight UFC veteran Jim Miller said “it’s not the gloves, it’s the tradition. The shameless, win in any respect prices mentality amongst fighters and the ‘eye pokes are an accident and never a foul’ mentality most individuals appear to have.” Miller referred to as for fast level deductions and purse deductions for eye pokes, arguing “I imagine not solely some extent deduction but in addition a handbag deduction would have a speedy impact on what number of pokes we see.”
For the reason that starting of 2024, just one fighter has been deducted some extent for a watch poke within the UFC. In your entire historical past of the promotion, solely 20 fights have occurred through which a fighter had some extent deducted and the struggle went to a call. The UFC has had seven fights finish in no contest on account of eye pokes since 2005.
Former UFC referee Big John McCarthy has developed his place on the problem, now advocating for automated level deductions no matter intent. “It doesn’t matter intent, it doesn’t matter something,” McCarthy mentioned. “Each time there’s gonna be some extent taken if the referee sees somebody sticking a finger out and we’ve got a thumb or a digit going into the attention socket. It’s an automated deduction.” Nonetheless, McCarthy acknowledged such a rule change “would by no means move” via the Affiliation of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports activities on account of considerations about on the spot replay necessities and the affect on necessary fights.
Eye Pokes, Eye Gouging, and Eye Raking
The medical consequences of eye pokes will be extreme and everlasting. Analysis inspecting ophthalmic accidents in skilled MMA from 2001 to 2020 discovered that 57 fighters required ophthalmology clearance after eye accidents sustained in competitors, with a median no-contact time of 8.9 weeks. Corneal abrasions from eye pokes trigger extreme ache, extreme tearing, and light-weight sensitivity that makes it practically not possible for fighters to proceed. Blunt eye trauma can result in retinal detachment, nerve injury, and excessive eye strain, doubtlessly inflicting everlasting imaginative and prescient loss if left untreated.
Notable fighters have suffered career-altering eye injuries from pokes. Jake Matthews revealed permanent eye damage from an eye gouge by Li Jingliang. Pedro Munhoz suffered a corneal abrasion from Sean O’Malley at UFC 276 that left him unable to see out of his right eye for 20 minutes.
The UFC 321 incident drew widespread reaction on social media. However, the MMA community expressed frustration with both the outcome and the UFC’s continued inaction. Reddit discussions highlighted that fighters have no disincentive to commit eye pokes, as the worst outcome is typically a warning. Some argued Gane should not receive a rematch given his history of fouls. Others questioned whether Aspinall could have continued, though medical professionals noted the severity of having fingers go “knuckle-deep” into both eyes.
Gane apologized after the struggle, stating “I didn’t do it on goal. I do know what it’s to have a watch poke as a result of once I fought Derrick Lewis, I obtained a watch poke, and I used to be preventing two Derrick Lewises for a full spherical.” He expressed disappointment that the struggle ended prematurely after he had began properly, touchdown jabs and drawing blood from Aspinall’s nostril.
The UFC 321 eye poke occurs against a backdrop of increasing frustration with foul enforcement across the sport. In February 2025, Henry Cejudo suffered a technical determination loss to Tune Yadong after being unable to proceed following a number of eye pokes that went unpenalized. In September 2024, Nassourdine Imavov landed two eye pokes in opposition to Caio Borralho, including to 4 earlier eye pokes throughout his final three fights with none level deductions. In March 2025, Roman Dolidze repeatedly fouled Marvin Vettori with a number of eye pokes regardless of warnings from referee Herb Dean, but no level was taken.
White’s assertion that “no matter what you do with the glove” eye pokes will happen contradicts evidence from other glove designs and stricter enforcement mechanisms. Pride FC or RIZIN gloves featured a curvature that kept fingers in a slightly bent position, reducing the ability to extend fingers toward opponents’ eyes. The Wittman ONX gloves employ a similar principle with added wrist support. The UFC had both options available but chose not to pursue them.
Coach and former fighter Bradd Pickett explained:
“Whenever you put your arms in [RIZIN gloves], it naturally curls your fingers down. It’s actually onerous to increase your hand totally, which helps forestall pokes. The answer is so easy.”
The promotion’s reluctance to implement stricter penalties additionally runs counter to how fouls are dealt with in different main sports activities. Within the NFL and NBA, penalties are assessed persistently no matter intent, creating clear disincentives for rule violations. MMA continues to function in what observers name a “gray space” the place guidelines are selectively enforced and fighters can commit a number of fouls with out consequence.
For now, the UFC’s position appears unchanged. Eye pokes “just happen,” according to White, and the promotion will continue rebooking fights disrupted by fouls rather than addressing the underlying causes.
