Dana White says he never spoke of Tom Aspinall 'in a derogatory way'

LAS VEGAS – Are Tom Aspinall's hard feelings toward Dana White the result of a misunderstanding? The UFC boss would like to believe that's the case.

At UFC 321 in late October, Aspinall was the victim of a nasty double eye poke from Ciryl Gane, which rendered the heavyweight champ unable to continue and the fight a no contest after 4:35 of the first round. The outcome immediately drew criticism from fans and pundits, who believed Aspinall took an easy way out given the striking success Gane had going for him. Whether he realized it or not, White fanned the flames with his words in the post-event news conference.

"I can't make people fight," White said afterward. "… And you definitely can't make somebody continue if they feel they've been injured. Only Tom knows what happened. Could he see? Couldn't he see? Could he continue? Only he knows that."

Earlier this week, Aspinall raised eye brows when he revealed he was "disappointed" in White for what he said, adding that he doesn't "really have a relationship" with his promoter. When asked to respond Saturday after UFC 323, White attempted to smooth things over by explaining the UFC is there to support Aspinall and that his words could've been "taken out of context."

"We have people all over him right now, checking up on him, making sure he's good, does he need any help or any specialists," White told MMA Junkie and other reporters. "Yeah, I'm no doctor. I'm just saying what I've heard, and that was in no way – it wasn't said in a way that they're like, 'Oh, what do you think?' And I said, 'I think he's fine.' It wasn't like that. I said I think Tom's eyes are good, he's gonna take some time, heal, come back. You know, that's all I said.

"I wasn't saying anything negative toward him. You know, I think the things (I said) could be taken out of context or he didn't see what I said – because I don't even remember what the f*ck I said – but never once did I say anything negative about him or in a derogatory way. I'm sure he's upset and fired up, you know. He'll get better, and we'll get him back in there."

There was initial optimism that a rematch between Aspinall and Gane could've been booked to headline a UFC numbered event in the first quarter of 2026. But given Aspinall's recent medical update, it's unclear when the fight could be made.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Dana White: Tom Aspinall's hard feelings just a misunderstanding