Former UFC welterweight champion, Belal Muhammad, knows all about unfair eye pokes and he’s here to let UFC heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall, know that everything is going to be okay.
As you may have heard, Aspinall’s recent heavyweight title defense against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 earlier this month completely went up in flames. Aspinall ended up suffering two eye pokes at the hands of Gane and wasn’t able to continue (see HERE), resulting in a disappointing No Contest for all parties involved. The
eye pokes obviously weren’t Aspinall’s fault, but fellow fighters and angry fight fans are partially blaming the UFC champion for not sucking it up and letting the main event play out.
Apparently, Aspinall still can’t see anything.
Muhammad, who has grown accustomed to fending off haters throughout most of his UFC career, recently discussed Aspinall’s eye poke issue and the backlash he’s receiving. “Remember the Name” sympathized with the UFC heavyweight king and advised him to stop caring about what anyone thinks.
“Tom Aspinall, you’re starting to feel what I felt. I’ve been there,” said Muhammad via his YouTube channel. “Poked in the eye, wasn’t on you, the world and the fans are blaming you. Word of advice: Stop caring! Stop caring what these people are saying, stop trying to prove yourself. Because even with the proof that you’re showing of going to the doctor, showing you getting your eyes checked, a lot of doctors are saying ‘Oh it was nothing you’ll be fine,’ so it’s not really helping the case.
“In the end. Do I think you did it purposely? That you looked for a way out? No. When you have a finger in your eye and you can’t see, can’t open it. After the Leon [Edwards] fight I couldn’t open it for like 30 minutes, it was one of the hardest things…
“It wasn’t so much the pain, I thought it was over and the doctors would say ‘Don’t go back to the sport and stay away from it’,” Muhammad continued. “Losing an opportunity. But Tom, you just have to stop caring…just embrace the boos.”
Aspinall, who didn’t suffer any major damage to either eye, is expected to return to action sometime in early 2026. We’ll have to wait and see if UFC 321’s backlash carries over into next year and Aspinall finds himself playing a heel role.
