'A historic tragedy' — A career-ending foul, the threat of losing the UFC championship belt, and now, how could this happen? "I really wanted to return..."

*This content was translated by AI.

It is a tragedy. Tom Aspinall (33, UK), the UFC heavyweight champion who faced the threat of losing his sight due to an opponent's fatal eye-gouging foul, has voluntarily relinquished his championship belt after 11 months of battling injuries.

The British media outlet 'The Independent' reported on the 15th (Korean time) that "Aspinall officially surrendered the UFC heavyweight title amid a cruel twist of fate." The report added, "If Aspinall is the unluckiest champion in UFC history, Cyril Gane (France), who took over the title after knocking him down with a foul, will become the luckiest fighter in history."

In October last year at UFC 321 held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Aspinall was subjected to illegal moves by challenger Gane during the title fight. In fact, Gane repeatedly committed fatal eye-gouging fouls, including stabbing his fingers deep into Aspinall's eye socket. As a result, the match was declared void after just one round, and Aspinall suffered severe injuries, including optic nerve damage, double vision, and impaired eye movement.

Even his closest associates expressed their outrage. Aspinall's father revealed to the British media outlet 'Sky Sports' that "his son's right eye is so damaged he can only see gray, and he is also suffering from Brown syndrome, a rare condition."

Although he underwent multiple surgeries in an attempt to return, he was ultimately denied permission to step back into the octagon. Just one day after Dana White, UFC president, hinted at discussing the stripping of Aspinall's title, Aspinall voluntarily gave up his belt.

In an official statement, Aspinall said, "I did not want to halt the momentum of the heavyweight division. Having experienced the pain of my career coming to a standstill, I hope other fighters get the opportunity to challenge for the title." He added, "Stepping down from the title does not mean giving up on sports or my dreams. My journey is far from over."

He continued, "I shared all medical records and test results with UFC and Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell to explore a return, but it proved impossible at this time. It is incredibly painful that I am still suffering from these aftereffects due to the foul that completely altered the direction of my career."

Aspinall's mixed martial arts career has been marked by a string of misfortunes. In 2022, he suffered a severe knee ligament tear just before a title fight. Even after becoming interim champion, the then-regular champion Jon Jones avoided a matchup, dragging out the situation for over a year and eventually retiring, leaving the octagon vacant. Although he managed to become the unified champion, his first title defense ended in a nightmare when he was stabbed by Gane's illegal finger during the fight, leading to 11 months of surgeries. Despite his strong will to return, he could not overcome the barrier posed by his eye injury.

In contrast, Gane, who pushed Aspinall to the brink, stood on the verge of becoming France's first-ever UFC heavyweight regular champion. Gane had previously faced intense criticism both internally and externally, including reports from the British media outlet 'TalkSport' revealing his attempt to recruit Phil De Fries, a KSW champion and Aspinall's closest training partner, before their match. Additionally, during his path to becoming interim champion by defeating Alex Pereira last June, he sparked controversy over illegal strikes, including blows to the back of the head.

While Tom Aspinall, the unluckiest champion in UFC history, tearfully surrendered his belt due to the aftereffects of a fatal foul, fans and local media are increasingly outraged by the absurd reality that Gane, who committed the foul, secured the regular championship belt without a fight.

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*This content was translated by AI.