Aljamain Sterling has defended “one among the worst takes” made by an MMA fighter.
The previous UFC bantamweight champion was amongst those skeptical about how Aspinall reacted to the attention pokes last October.
The one heavyweight title fight in 2025 led to a no-contest after Ciryl Gane’s egregious fouls injured Aspinall and left him unable to proceed within the UFC 321 important event.
Despite the clear pokes, Aspinall was met with a barrage of doubt and accusations of faking by some fans and fighters. Those responsible have been made to look silly within the months since, especially after Aspinall underwent double eye surgery as his vision continues to be impaired.
But that has not forced a U-turn from Sterling.
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Aljamain Sterling defends his controversial stance on Tom Aspinall’s response to the attention pokes
In a video after UFC 321, Sterling suggested that Aspinall called off his title defense with Gane too quickly.
“Was he milking it? Was he using his best Aljamain Sterling acting attributes to take home the gold? I do know you think that I’ll be on the identical side as Tommy, but I’m not,” Sterling said.
“From what he posted, it looks like the whole lot is okay. He wasn’t even complaining about that eye (that got poked the worst).
“The rationale why I believe this doesn’t look good, Tommy Aspinall was losing that fight. Instantly, the guy is saying, ‘I can’t see.,’” he continued. “You’ll be able to’t say, ‘I can’t see.’ We all know that’s the nail within the coffin.
“In the event you actually want your five minutes to attempt to get well, you possibly can’t use those words.”
Sterling also referred back to how he won the bantamweight title, noting that he requested the complete recovery time after being illegally kneed by Petr Yan.
After the recent details about Aspinall’s ongoing struggles emerged, Sterling’s comments were reposted on social media and described as “one among the worst takes” by an MMA fighter.
In response, ‘Funk Master’ selected to double down.
“Nope. Every part I said was fair and valid,” Sterling wrote on X.
“NEVER did I say he was faking, lying, or exaggerating. Your brain just (doesn’t) seem to understand an in-depth look into the entire scenario.
“My point stays: after all you possibly can’t see right after being double eye poked, we all know the fight ending words ‘I can’t see’, and Tom should’ve waited a bit to see IF there was a likelihood he ‘could’ proceed,” he added.
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Tom Aspinall ‘hates the business’ after the response to his eye injuries
The heavyweight champ has been inundated with hate from some portions of the fanbase, criticism from fighters like Sterling, and even public doubt from Dana White about his decision to not proceed at UFC 321.
With that in mind, it’s no surprise that Aspinall’s opinion of MMA as a “business” has taken successful.
“I like martial arts,” Aspinall told Uncrowned’s Petesy Carroll. I absolutely like it. I’ll never stop loving it, but I just hate the business.
“I believe that fighters are only completely replaceable and the business will make you are feeling like that any likelihood it gets. Even for those who get hit with an illegal move, which could affect the remainder of your life, they don’t really give a s—. And nobody else does either,” he added.