Veteran fighter Jim Miller took aim at the controversial eye-poke that disrupted the heavyweight title main event at UFC 321. On Sunday he posted a blistering message addressing what happened inside the Octagon and the broader culture around fouls in MMA.

Miller began by highlighting the unified rules regarding eye gouges and eye pokes. He argued that while an official must determine intent, the rules clearly state that a fighter should be disqualified if they commit a foul that prevents their opponent from continuing. “Eye gouging, eye poking, is a foul,” Miller wrote. “And if that foul is done with intention, then the fighter that commits the foul gets disqualified if the fight can’t continue.”

He pointed out that he has logged decades of Octagon time without ever being involved in a poke-related stoppage. “None of the guys who have spent the most time in the Octagon have poked someone in the eye,” Miller said, arguing that this shows the foul is avoidable. “It’s not a f***ing accident.”

Miller also challenged how the sport currently handles the aftermath of such incidents. He said the fighter who suffers the poke is often blamed for not fighting through it, while the one committing the foul faces little to no consequence. “The person who was poked in the eye is always seen as the loser,” he wrote, adding that refs and commissions could fix the problem by penalizing the offender immediately. “The only way we’re going to stop this thing is if the fighters that are committing the foul actually end up getting punished.”

In his post, Miller criticized the idea that gloves, or the new equipment rules, are the root of the problem. He argued the issue comes down to fighter behavior and accountability. “This is not a glove issue; it is an issue of culture and the fighters,” he stated.

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