Sonnen Credits Aspinall After Heavyweight Vacate

UFC Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen reversed his earlier criticism of Tom Aspinall after the heavyweight champion vacated his title this week to recover from serious eye injuries.

Aspinall suffered multiple eye injuries during his bout against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 last year, which ended in a no-contest. His lengthy absence sparked questions from fans about the severity of the damage, with Sonnen among those who publicly doubted the Englishman's timeline.

On The Ariel Helwani Show, Sonnen acknowledged his mistake. "I'm one of those fans... we got this wrong," he said, per Bloody Elbow. "Guys get poked in the eye all the time and they keep on fighting. We didn't know. We got it wrong, and I feel terrible for the guy. If there's any injury I could have, the last one I would want is something with my eye."

The former light heavyweight title challenger praised Aspinall's decision to relinquish the belt. "It was handled right," Sonnen continued. "I do think it was handled with grace, and I think that, aside from the UFC doing it right, Tom did a tremendous job. It's a very honorable thing."

Gane is expected to face either Josh Hokit or former light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira for the undisputed heavyweight title later this year.