UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has publicly backed heavyweight titleholder Tom Aspinall amid online claims he faked the eye injury that ended his UFC 321 title defence against Ciryl Gane. Speaking to Brazilian athlete Valter Walker, Pereira dismissed the idea that Aspinall could have manufactured such an injury, stressing that fighters do not play with their health.
Pereira said he was shocked when he saw images of Aspinall’s eyes after surgery, describing the sight as unsettling and emphasising how sensitive the eye area is for any athlete.
Was That Eye Injury Legitimate? Alex Pereira Stands By Tom Aspinall’s UFC 321 Exit
The discussion resurfaced after Aspinall shared updates on his double eye surgery, sparking renewed debate about whether the injury was legitimate. Aspinall’s first UFC heavyweight title defence was stopped in the first round of UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi after Gane accidentally poked him in both eyes, leading to a no‑contest ruling and allowing Aspinall to retain the belt. Medical reports later revealed he suffered bilateral traumatic Brown’s syndrome, a rare eye condition affecting the tendon, and a possible displaced fracture in the medial orbital wall, which can impair vision and eye movement.
“Look, I don’t mess around with health, man. I see it like, the guy’s a fighter, he’s not gonna fake something like that. The guy’s back now after surgery. I saw the photo that he posted, man, his eyes were all red. It even scared me a bit. The eyes are really delicate, you know?”
Follow‑up tests showed Aspinall dealing with persistent double vision, restricted eye movement, and reduced visual acuity, issues serious enough that his specialist team has advised against returning to training until the symptoms stabilise. Orthoptic evaluations have documented impaired binocular coordination and visual‑field deficits, pointing to bilateral ocular trauma that requires ongoing consultant‑led management rather than a short‑term recovery. UFC matchmaker Dana White later downplayed the procedure, describing it as essentially an injection, but those comments have been weighed against the detailed medical documentation and the champion’s public timeline of pain and dysfunction.
Pereira’s comments also contrast with the more critical tone of some fans and even former champions who argued Aspinall should have tried to continue once the referee stopped the action. Ciryl Gane’s fingers went deeply into Aspinall’s eye socket on one of the pokes, and the Briton reported feeling like someone had touched the back of his eyeball, with pain that intensified after the bout. Aspinall told reporters he could barely see out of his “good” eye and required immediate hospital care in Abu Dhabi, followed by additional scans back in the UK.
By stepping in to defend Aspinall, Pereira underlines the fighter‑to‑fighter perspective on risk and credibility. He noted that Aspinall came out of the octagon visibly uncomfortable, spoke honestly in post‑fight interviews, and then submitted to invasive medical procedures and long‑term recovery, which do not align with the idea of a staged injury. Given the documented condition, the need for multiple surgeries, and the professional stakes of holding a UFC title, the narrative that Aspinall is exaggerating his problem has been widely disputed by both fans and medical reports.
