Sonnen delivered the apology on The Ariel Helwani Show on Wednesday.
“I’m so sorry for what Tom Aspinall went through, and I even look back at some of my words and opinions that were clearly wrong,” the UFC Hall of Famer told Helwani.
“There is clearly a medical issue here. We got this wrong.”
Aspinall vacated the UFC heavyweight title two days earlier, ending a saga that began with a double eye poke from Ciryl Gane in the first round of their October 2025 title bout in Abu Dhabi.
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From ESPN critic to public apology
Sonnen had been one of the loudest analysts questioning why Aspinall stopped fighting at UFC 321. On ESPN’s post-fight show, he insisted the champion should have pressed on.
“Being poked in the eye is illegal, but to fight with one eye is very common,” Sonnen said, arguing that as heavyweight champion, Aspinall had “got to fight with one eye at times.”
The remarks drew a wave of criticism from fighters and analysts who pointed to Aspinall’s inability to see out of his right eye during the allotted five-minute break. He was taken to a hospital directly from the arena.
Sonnen’s tone on Wednesday was different.
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“Guys get poked in the eye all the time, and they keep on fighting,” he said.
“Then, when the stakes were this big, we didn’t know.”
“If there’s any injury I could have, the last one I would want is something with my eyes.”
Multiple surgeries and a training accident
Aspinall has since undergone multiple eye surgeries. He had agreed to a fight date and had returned to sparring when a training accident caused further damage.
“I had previously agreed to a fight date and was back sparring, feeling great and ready to compete when an accident caused further damage to my right eye,” Aspinall wrote on Instagram on Monday, confirming he had vacated the belt.
“This means more time away from the sport, and right now, the timing of my return is unclear.”
“Stepping away from the title is not stepping away from the sport or the dream.”
Sonnen’s forecast for the comeback
Sonnen backed the former champion to return at the highest level.
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“Tom’s going to be back, and when he is, he’s going to be in that exact same spot,” he said.
“He’s going to be fighting in a main event for the undisputed heavyweight championship.”
Aspinall has set no return date. The UFC heavyweight belt is now vacant, and no interim or new champion has been named.
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