Jon Jones’ Savage Response to Tom Aspinall’s UFC 321 Eye Injury

Jon Jones wasted little time in reacting on social media after the first UFC Heavyweight Championship defence of rival Tom Aspinall ended in disaster at UFC 321. The pay-per-view card at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi was headlined by a five-round main event between Aspinall and top contender Cyril Gane.

However, the clash was only a few minutes old when the Brit was on the receiving end of a double eye poke from his French opponent. The foul was totally accidental, but that didn’t make it any less brutal.

The referee immediately gave Aspinall a five-minute injury time-out to try and recover from pokes, but it quickly became apparent that the champion was in serious trouble. Within moments, he could be heard telling the official: “I can’t see!”

When the cageside doctor was called into the Octagon, Aspinall again confirmed that his vision was compromised as the medic held a cloth against his eye. The bout was waved off shortly afterwards and was officially ruled a no contest. Aspinall and Gane were both devastated by the outcome, as were the crowd in attendance, who booed the ending mercilessly.

Former two-division world champion Jones, though, seemingly couldn’t wait to poke fun at the situation. ‘Bones’ repeatedly refused to face Aspinall during his time as UFC Heavyweight Champion, even when the 32-year-old was the interim champion of the division.

Jon Jones’ Brutal Act After Tom Aspinall Suffered UFC 321 Eye Injury

It was only when Jones retired in June that Aspinall was finally promoted to full champion. Even in retirement, the American continued to embrace the heat he received for failing to face the Englishman. He did so by changing his profile picture on social media to a rubber duck wearing sunglasses and a UFC title. That was until he made a subtle alteration to the image after Saturday’s fight.

Not content with rubbing salt into Aspinall’s wounds after the painful ending to his first title defence, Jones then deliberately snubbed the reigning champion as he posted his first tweet following the UFC 321 main event.

Rather than addressing the controversial finish to one of the biggest MMA fights of the year, the 38-year-old instead responded only to Alex Pereira after the reigning UFC Light Heavyweight Champion had hinted at a move up to heavyweight to “make the division great again” by fighting Jones on the UFC’s landmark card at The White House in June next year.

Jon responded by accepting the invitation, telling Pereira: “Let’s dance!”

While no fights have yet been confirmed for the event, such is the prestige of the card that heavyweight titleholder Aspinall would likely be one of the names discussed for a headline fight on the South Lawn, alongside Pereira and (seemingly) Jones.

Before signing on for an appearance at The White House – or a rematch with Gane – Aspinall must first recover from the nasty eye pokes he received on Saturday night. The 32-year-old’s injuries were severe enough that he was transported straight to hospital after leaving the Octagon in Abu Dhabi.