Tom Aspinall Hits Back at UFC Fans Calling Him a Quitter: “Focus on real life.”
After UFC 321, when a brutal eye poke from Ciryl Gane ended his title defense in a no-contest, Tom Aspinall wasn’t just dealing with a rare eye injury. He was dealing with something he’d never experienced: widespread fan criticism suggesting he’d faked the damage. That pressure led to one thing, he finally spoke up.
What Did Tom Aspinall Say About UFC Fans and Social Media?
In a recent interview with Adam Catterall, the UFC heavyweight champion didn’t hold back about the backlash flooding his social media. More importantly, he explained why he bothered addressing it at all, even though he knows exactly who he’s not trying to convince.
“It’s been a good learning experience for me because you just realize haters are going to hate, and that’s it,” Aspinall said. “I felt like I needed to put something out there because there are people who are idiots obviously online and stuff, but I also have a lot of fans as well, and I think I owe it to them to keep them in the loop with stuff.”
Aspinall isn’t out here trying to win over the people calling him a quitter on Reddit threads or Twitter. He’s heard all of it, that his bloody nose meant he was looking for an escape, that the eye poke was exaggerated, that he’s milking the injury. Medical reports proving bilateral traumatic Brown’s syndrome? Critics said he was just complaining. His silence after the fight? They said he was hiding because he knew he quit. You can’t win with people like that.
What actually bothers him is letting his genuine supporters think he abandoned them. The fans who’ve stuck with him through injuries, long layoffs, and the frustration of waiting for fights that never happened.
“I don’t feel like I need to explain it to anybody. I know what happened. I was there. I know what I felt. I know what I feel now,” he said. “For me to have international fans and this outpour of love, it’s a big thing for me, and I feel like I need to keep those people informed, updated about where I am with everything. The haters and the trolls online, whatever. I’m not explaining it to them. I’m keeping the people who care about me updated.”
But here’s what stuck with him most from the whole situation. He’s stopped spending energy on social media entirely. He gets love in real life, plenty of it, so why waste time scrolling through negativity?
“Social media is not real life. I get so much love in real life that why am I spending time scrolling social media with loads of people saying negative stuff? It’s completely pointless,” he explained. “So I’ve learned to focus on real life, not the life that’s going on behind the screen.”
