Chael Sonnen admits he was wrong!! Chael Sonnen once questioned could Tom Aspinall have pushed through the eye poke incident against Ciryl Gane with Chael now saying it would have been the worst injury he could think of having Aspinall recently vacated the Heavyweight title with his future and the divisions future up in the air things are going to get interesting Do you think Tom could have continued?
Chael Sonnen has walked back his earlier stance on the eye poke Tom Aspinall suffered against Ciryl Gane, publicly admitting he was wrong to question whether the heavyweight champion could have fought through the injury.
Sonnen, the 49-year-old American veteran who compiled a 29-15-1 professional record across a decorated career, had previously suggested Aspinall might have been able to continue after taking an eye poke during the Gane bout. He has since reversed that position entirely, stating it would rank among the worst injuries he could imagine a fighter enduring in competition.
Aspinall, 33, is one of the most physically imposing and statistically dominant heavyweights the division has seen in some time. The six-foot-five Englishman out of Team Kaobon carries a 15-3-0 record and lands an extraordinary 7.63 significant strikes per minute at a 67 percent accuracy rate — numbers that place him in rare company at any weight class. He also averages 2.62 takedowns per fifteen minutes, giving him a well-rounded profile that helped him reach the top of the heavyweight mountain and a place at number six in the pound-for-pound rankings.
Gane, the number one ranked heavyweight contender from France, brings his own considerable credentials. "Bon Gamin" holds a 14-2-0 record and lands 5.29 significant strikes per minute at 61 percent accuracy, making him one of the sharpest and most technical strikers in the division.
Why it matters
- Aspinall has since vacated the heavyweight title, leaving the division's immediate future unsettled
- The eye poke incident now carries added weight as a potential turning point in how the title picture unfolded
- Sonnen's reversal adds a prominent media voice to the argument that Aspinall's stoppage was fully justified
- With no confirmed champion, the heavyweight landscape is wide open heading into a critical period
