Ciryl Gane has fired back at Tom Aspinall’s public comments following their UFC 321 no contest, saying the heavyweight champion went too far with his accusations.
Gane challenged Aspinall for the UFC heavyweight title last October at UFC 321, but the bout was ruled a no contest after a Gane eye poke left Aspinall unable to continue. Aspinall suffered damage to both eyes that required surgery and has not yet been cleared for sparring, and has since repeatedly called Gane a cheater and a dirty fighter.
“His communication strategy was really bad,” Gane said, later adding, “Today, he's signed with an agency that I hope helps him with his communication because it was catastrophic. Sometimes it's better not to say anything. These things happen. You don't need to overdo it, exaggerate it. The guy was like, 'Ahh, ahh,' acting like he can't drive anymore.”
Gane continued, “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 have been like, 'Wow, man, that's enough. Relax. These things happen. We've got your back, but you should calm down a bit.' But yeah, that was his communication. I wasn't affected at all. Social media is secondary.”
Next up, Gane is scheduled to face Alex Pereira for the interim heavyweight title in the UFC Freedom 250 co-main event on June 14 at the White House in Washington D.C. Tom Aspinall is expected to face the winner upon his return.
