Usman and Cejudo show support for Aspinall after UFC 321 eye injury

Former UFC champions Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo have spoken out in support of Tom Aspinall following the contentious conclusion to his heavyweight title fight against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321.

The Briton's title defence ended in the first round after Gane unintentionally poked both of Aspinall’s eyes, resulting in a no-contest verdict.

In a recent podcast, Usman and Cejudo highlighted their concerns about the incident.

“Forget about your neck, your shoulder — you lose an eye, bro, and that’s it,” Usman said.

Cejudo echoed the concern, recalling a recent gym incident, and raised concern that fighters need to be more careful.

“There’s even a guy from our gym who pretty much lost his eye, dude. It’s sad. Fighters need to be more careful with their eyes,” the 38-year-old added.

However, Aspinall’s father and coach, Andy Aspinall, later provided an update on his son’s condition via YouTube, saying his vision remains severely affected.

“Doctors said it’s bad. His right eye still can’t see anything — it’s just grey. His left eye’s only 50%, so one’s really blurry and one’s still not working,” Aspinall said.

Despite concerns, early signs indicate that the British heavyweight will recover. The UFC is reportedly planning to reschedule the title fight for early 2026, subject to medical clearance.

The incident has renewed calls for stricter glove designs and clearer safety standards in MMA, as concerns about fighter welfare continue to grow across the sport.