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Longtime UFC reporter Megan Olivi thinks much harsher consequences are needed for cheaters in MMA.
The UFC 321 main event no contest between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane has sparked conversation across the MMA community about what truly constitutes an intentional foul vs. non-intentional and whether there are strong enough deterrents in place.
Gane (13-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) poked Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) badly in both eyes in the opening round of their heavyweight championship fight this past weekend. He could not continue, resulting in no winner and much disappointment.
Olivi supports Gane and does not think his eye pokes were done with the purpose of gauging Aspinall and ending his night. He likely would’ve been docked a point by the referee had the bout went on, but Olivi said that’s not a strong enough preventative measure.
“If they continue, there’s got to be repercussions for actions that you can control,” Olivi told MMA Junkie. “A lot of times, people will commit fouls and nothing happens. I don’t believe anyone is out there doing this maliciously or to gain an advantage, but it does happen and it does inevitably a lot of times give an advantage because it happened. I think making sure people are held accountable for the things they are doing with their body inside the octagon is also really important.
“If people continue to fight through fouls because they worked so hard and this is their payday and this is the opportunity they’ve waited so long for … who knows what it’ll take to get rescheduled? I think we have to ensure there is proper protocol when things happen.”
California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) head Andy Foster reportedly told Ariel Helwani of Uncrowned that an upcoming CSAC meeting will address the rulebook terminology of intentional vs. unintentional. Olivi backs the idea of that language being phased out.
Some fighters, like all-time UFC wins and fights leader Jim Miller, will strongly support the notion that nothing inside the cage happens by accident. He’s gone the entirety of a record-setting UFC tenure with poking an opponent in the eye, but others believe accidents can happen.
It’s impossible to determine the true motivates of any individual without being inside their head, however, and the intentional vs. unintentional rule leaves things open for interpretation. Olivi thinks severe consequences should come in any instance where intent can be proven, but since it can’t, she said more wide-scale adjustments are needed.
“Maybe there’s three (fouls I can remember in my career) that were malicious,” Olivi said. “And to me, I feel like you should not compete again for the organization. I’m not the rule-maker, but I don’t feel like there’s a place for that in our sport that sometimes gets a bad rap. It needs to be rewritten or reworked because I think 99.999 percent of the time that they happen, it’s not done on purpose.
“But there’s also a pattern of people who are doing them committing them more often than not. Like we see, ‘This person is known for eye pokes or hitting the groin or this person grabs the fence sometimes on their way down.’ We sometimes see trends, and that can’t continue because it is an unfair advantage. I think a revision is probably needed because the intentional foul is probably never going to come up in most referees’ careers, to have a punishment when there is a foul because we’re not often going to see things maliciously.”
Olivi said Gane is “such a sweet guy” and reiterated she does not view him as an intentional cheater. His lack of discipline with his fingers did ultimately ruin the UFC 321 headliner, though, and derailed any momentum that was building in the heavyweight division.
There’s a hope Aspinall’s vision will clear and he will avoid any serious long-term damage. If that best-case scenario plays out, UFC CEO Dana White said post-fight at UFC 321 that he’s hoping to see the Aspinall vs. Gane rematch happen as soon as possible.
Medical clearance will come first and foremost, but if Aspinall is good, Olivi is hopeful a sequence can be booked for UFC 322 on Nov. 15 in New York or UFC 323 on Dec. 6 in Las Vegas.
“I’m crossing my fingers that we are. With the direction that everybody is safe, healthy and ready to compete, but resume training to compete and resume being fit. I would like to see it. Do we see the heavyweight title fight competed for before the end of 2025? I think it would be amazing, but it has to be under the right conditions. How much can they build upon those fight camps they have? If he can start feeling better quickly or be cleared quickly and after resting for a few days, get back to training and be ready for something in November or December.”
To hear more from Olivi, check out her complete appearance on “The Bohnfire” podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn above.
