Demetrious Johnson has justified Ciryl Gane accidentally fouling Tom Aspinall at UFC 321.
Gane (13-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) poked heavyweight champion Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) in both of his eyes during the first round of their title fight Saturday, which was ruled a no contest after Aspinall was unable to continue. Gane exceeded expectations as Round 1 was back-and-forth and the Frenchman busted Aspinall’s nose with his jab.
Gane scraped both of Aspinall’s eyes, but former UFC flyweight champion Johnson explains that it was an instinctual and natural defensive move.
“People don’t understand. They always talk about, ‘When are we going to fix eye pokes in mixed martial arts?’ Newsflash: You’re never f*cking going to do it,” Johnson said on his YouTube channel. “The reason why is because as human beings, our natural reaction when somebody comes toward us is open my hands and stick my hands out.
“When I throw a body kick, when you learn muay Thai and you throw kicks, they don’t teach you to throw them like this (hands close to face). They teach you to open your hands. You put your hands in front of your opponent’s face to block him. … Obviously the foul was an accident, but the way he had his hands on Tom Aspinall’s face is the correct technique to do.”
A visibly disappointed Gane was apologetic for fouling Aspinall, who was transported to the hospital after the fight. UFC CEO Dana White said the plan is to book an immediate rematch.
