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Dana White’s post-UFC 321 remark about Tom Aspinall has fans speculating.
Aspinall put the UFC Heavyweight Championship at stake against Ciryl Gane this past Saturday. Gane found success on the feet, busting the nose of Aspinall. Things went awry when Gane delivered an inadvertent double poke to the eyes of Aspinall. The heavyweight champion informed the doctor and referee that he couldn’t see out of his left eye, which led to a no contest.
During the UFC 321 post-fight press conference, Dana White raised some eyebrows with his comments regarding the main event (via Bloody Elbow).
“There probably will be a lot more interest in the rematch [between Aspinall and Gane],” White told assembled media. “…I mean, he had Tom bloodied up. And, you know — Tom didn’t want to continue in the fight, so. The rematch is very interesting.”
Some fans believe it’s telling that White said Aspinall didn’t want to keep fighting as opposed to saying he couldn’t. CBS Sports reporter Shakiel Mahjouri theorized that White may have thrown shade at Aspinall in response to recent comments from the heavyweight champion’s father and coach, Andy.
“Can’t help but think this is his way of getting back at Tom’s dad for wanting to leave UFC to box,” Mahjouri wrote.
Andy has been outspoken about UFC in the past, criticizing the promotion for his son’s inactivity. UFC was hoping to book Jon Jones vs. Aspinall for the undisputed UFC Heavyweight Championship. “Bones” ultimately decided to retire. Now, Jones is seemingly ditching retirement in an attempt to fight UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira at the White House.
White also called the rebooking of Aspinall vs. Gane a “pain in the [expletive].” The UFC boss hopes to book the rematch as soon as possible. Some fans have called for the bout to be rebooked as soon as December, but there’s no word on whether or not that would even be feasible.
