Issue 222

October 2025

You don’t need slow motion to feel this finger as it drives into Tom Aspinall’s right eye. It’s knuckle-deep, by his own account, and turned a heavyweight title defence into all sorts of opinions. Ciryl Gane’s accidental double eye poke at UFC 321 reignited plenty of debate about vision and the hazard of heavyweight hands. From Jon Jones’ infamous range-finding palms to Daniel Cormier’s short-range digs, the bigger divisions seem to be the sport’s ocular danger zone. Long reaches, open hands, and flat gloves make it a problem as old as 4oz leather. As Aspinall sat in hospital, patch over his eye, he told fans it felt like “someone touched the back of my eyeball.” Some called him a quitter. Others called it common sense. Say what you like, but when you end up in hospital and the line between courage and blindness gets that thin, you can’t blame the champ for blinking.

Date: October 26, 2025

Location: UFC 321, Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi