UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has defended Tom Aspinall as fans continue to go after him on social media.
When you talk about guys who have been unlucky in this sport, Tom Aspinall is up there with the best of them. After years of fighters not wanting to face him, he finally got his shot in the UFC and immediately shot up the rankings at heavyweight. Then, he blew out his knee, forcing him out of action for a year, before he returned and eventually became the UFC heavyweight champion.
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For almost two years, however, Aspinall was forced to wait around as Jon Jones refused to commit to taking on the Englishman for one reason or another. Then, in his most recent outing, he suffered a double eye poke against Ciryl Gane, that forced him to undergo surgery recently on both eyes.
Despite Gane being the one at fault, Aspinall was accused of playing up his injuries or generally being a quitter. In a recent interview, Alex Pereira weighed in on the situation.
Pereira’s view on Aspinall’s eye injury
“When the stoppage happened in the fight, he came out complaining,” Pereira told Valter Walker.
“Some people didn’t believe him, others just trashed him. 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.”
Quotes via Bloody Elbow
Regardless of whether or not you’re a fan of Poatan, he’s always going to say it like it is.
What side of the debate do you fall on when it comes to Tom Aspinall’s eye problems? Let us know your thoughts on this in the comments below, BJPENN Nation!