Josh Hokit remains skeptical about Tom Aspinall’s claim that injury is preventing him from competing. Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) recently relinquished his UFC heavyweight title, unable to secure medical clearance to defend it before the year’s end. He has yet to fully heal from an eye poke sustained during his fight with Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 last October.
Consequently, Ciryl Gane (14-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC) was declared the undisputed champion and is set to defend his belt against Hokit (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) in the main event at UFC 334 on November 14 in New York.
During an appearance on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” Hokit expressed frustration with Aspinall’s approach, saying, “When I’m the champ, I’m fighting four times a year. I’m not sitting around like Tom Aspinall, waiting 500 days for Jon Jones, who never showed up, and then getting penalized. Playing it safe doesn’t work—you get punished for that. Aspinall was playing it safe. He gets his eye poked by Gane, and now he can’t fight.”
Aspinall has undergone multiple surgeries to restore his vision but continues to have difficulties. However, Hokit suspects Aspinall may be exaggerating his condition and giving up his belt for other motives, especially after partnering with Eddie Hearn for management.
Hokit stated, “Honestly, I don’t even think this is real. Probably his teammates are messing with him, and then he claims to have pink eye on Instagram, asking for sympathy because he can’t fight. With the fake surgeries and everything else, I think he just wants out of his contract, to be honest.”
He added, “Maybe the UFC isn’t offering the paycheck he wants, but his track record doesn’t justify that kind of money. People don’t tune in to watch him like they do for more prominent stars. He’s overestimating his value. None of this is genuine. I don’t know if he’s paying doctors to back this up, but I think he’s trying to cash in on boxing instead.”
Fan Take: This saga highlights the increasing complexities behind the scenes in MMA, where fighter management, finances, and health issues intertwine. For fans, it raises important questions about athlete transparency and how the sport balances competitive integrity with business interests moving forward.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
