Nov 11, 2023; New York, NY, USA; Tom Aspinall (blue gloves) reacts to beating Sergei Pavlovich (red gloves) during UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

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Eye Poke Penalty Rule – Referee Herb Dean Gives Info On New Changes After Tom Aspinall vs Ciryl Gane Controversy At UFC 321

Nov 11, 2023; New York, NY, USA; Tom Aspinall (blue gloves) reacts to beating Sergei Pavlovich (red gloves) during UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

UFC referees have one of the toughest jobs in sports. They stand feet away from elite fighters throwing devastating strikes. Split-second decisions can change careers and legacies forever. Point deductions feel like nuclear options in a sport where rounds matter immensely. So refs tend to give warnings instead of actually penalizing fighters.

Anyone suggesting that Tom Aspinall took the ‘easy way out’ should be ashamed of themselves and probably shouldn’t watch MMA again.

A double eye poke in a UFC title fight… absolutely brutal 😬#UFC321

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— Ben Thomas (@Benfthomas_10) October 25, 2025

This approach has created a major problem with eye pokes though. Fighters extend their fingers during exchanges without real consequences. The current glove design doesn’t help matters much either. Fans have watched countless fights get ruined by accidental eye pokes. Tom Aspinall’s title defense against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 became the latest casualty. The bout ended in a no contest after Gane poked both of Aspinall’s eyes in the opening round. The British champion couldn’t see properly and officials had no choice but to stop everything. Now referee Herb Dean has given the latest info on eye poke penalty rule changes coming soon.

Herb Dean Reveals Zero Tolerance Policy Coming

Dean appeared on the Believe You Me podcast recently and dropped some news. The UFC is finally cracking down on extended fingers near opponents’ faces. The first change isn’t technically new at all. A rule already exists making it a foul to extend fingers toward the eyes. Problem is, nobody has been enforcing it properly.

Dean explained that refs usually react to damage already done by fouls. They take points after someone gets hurt badly by an illegal move. But this reactive approach hasn’t worked for eye pokes at all. The new enforcement will be proactive instead of reactive. Fighters who extend their fingers toward opponents’ faces will lose points immediately. They won’t get warnings or second chances anymore.

“I think people would not have been used to seeing someone get a point taken, because most of the time when we take a point, it’s more of a reactive to the damaging and the unbalancing of the fight that’s been done by a foul. But this right here is a dangerous foul and somebody’s going to keep doing a dangerous action. We should start taking points by them doing that action before it actually happens to hurt somebody.”

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The veteran referee acknowledged why point deductions happen so rarely. MMA uses a ten point must system where rounds matter tremendously. Taking one point can turn a majority decision win into a draw. That’s huge stakes for what might seem like a minor infraction. But Dean believes the danger of eye pokes outweighs those concerns now.

What These Changes Mean For Fighters

If these rules had been enforced during Aspinall vs Gane, things would have gone differently. Gane extended his fingers near Aspinall’s face before the actual poke happened. Under the new enforcement, the referee would have deducted a point right then. And when Aspinall couldn’t continue because of the double eye poke? That probably would have resulted in a disqualification instead of a no contest.

Dean’s comments suggest refs are done being lenient about reckless behavior. Fighters need to adapt their techniques or face serious consequences. Some guys rely on that extended lead hand for range finding. Those tactics are about to become very expensive!

(Image Credit: Peter van den Berg – Imagn Images)

Ciryl Gane

Herb Dean

Tom Aspinall

Zaid Quraishi

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I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!