Following the controversial end at UFC 321, the place Ciryl Gane’s unintentional double eye poke pressured Tom Aspinall to cease the heavyweight title bout, former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad supplied a direct evaluation of how the game ought to deal with such infractions. Muhammad, drawing from his personal expertise of struggling a extreme eye poke in opposition to Leon Edwards in 2021, prompt that rapid level deductions would function an efficient deterrent.
UFC 321
Aspinall’s inaugural undisputed heavyweight championship protection got here to an abrupt halt at 4:35 of the primary spherical on Saturday at Etihad Enviornment in Abu Dhabi. The Brit had taken the centre of the octagon early, touchdown stiff mixtures and calf kicks, whereas Gane responded with clear jabs and exact footwork.
Nonetheless, as Gane tried to defend in opposition to Aspinall’s stress, his outstretched fingers made contact with each of Aspinall’s eyes. After the obligatory five-minute medical analysis, Aspinall reported he couldn’t see clearly in his proper eye, forcing referee Jason Herzog to wave off the competition as a no-contest.
Belal Muhammad on Eye Pokes
Belal Muhammad’s response came directly on social media, where he acknowledged the severity of the situation while offering his proposed solution. “Ugh, been there, worst feeling ever,” he wrote, referencing his experience against Edwards. He then addressed Gane directly, stating “Gane can’t be mad, you clearly poked him, study to maintain ur arms closed.” In a separate put up, Muhammad introduced what he considers the only fix: “In the event that they need to do away with eye pokes, they should take a degree away immediately.”
Muhammad’s proposal aligns with rising sentiment amongst fighters, former referees, and officers who imagine present penalties lack enough tooth. Underneath the Unified Guidelines of MMA, the usual punishment for an unintentional eye poke begins with solely a warning, with level deductions hardly ever utilized till a fighter commits a number of fouls. This lenient strategy has annoyed each rivals and observers who argue it incentivizes careless hand positioning.
The 2021 eye poke Muhammad suffered came during what was supposed to be his first UFC main event against Edwards at UFC Vegas 21. Edwards’ fingers struck Muhammad’s right eye, inflicting rapid ache and bleeding that ended the competition in a no-contest end result. Muhammad required medical consideration.
The fighter’s perspective carries weight given his later victories. Muhammad ultimately confronted Edwards in a rematch at UFC 304 in July 2024, the place he dominated the previous champion by means of 5 rounds to seize the UFC welterweight title. His success over Edwards possible strengthened his perception that time deductions for infractions might change fighter behaviour.
Former referee Big John McCarthy has advocated for computerized level deductions no matter intent, stating the rule change “would by no means move” by means of the Affiliation of Boxing Commissions on account of procedural considerations. In the meantime, 45-fight UFC veteran Jim Miller known as for mixed level and purse deductions to create rapid monetary penalties for offenders.
The UFC introduced new gloves in May 2024 specifically engineered to reduce eye pokes, with design changes including repositioned seams and modified padding to encourage fighters to maintain closed hands. Then, the UFC got rid of these gloves.
