Ciryl Gane (13-2, 1 NC) has pushed back on the narrative Tom Aspinall (15-3, 1 NC) has been building since their controversial meeting at UFC 321.
The two heavyweights headlined UFC 321 last October before the fight was waved off minutes in after Aspinall took several accidental eye pokes and was unable to continue. The bout was ruled a no-contest. In the months that followed, Aspinall called Gane a cheat and suggested the fouls were deliberate, as he underwent double eye surgery in February for bilateral brown’s syndrome after suffering from vision problems.
Gane largely stayed out of it — until now. Ahead of his co-main event slot against Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14, the former interim heavyweight champion has accused Aspinall of exaggerating the extent of his injuries and distorting the narrative to suit his own agenda.
“Sometimes it’s better not to say anything; these things happen. You don’t need to overdo it, exaggerate it, and the guy was like ‘Ahh! Ahh!’, acting like he can’t drive anymore. He said so many things and spent so much time trying to accuse me of who knows what. It just didn’t make sense anymore at a certain point. Even his own fans must’ve been like – ‘Wow man, that’s enough, relax,” Gane said