Ciryl Gane says he is unbothered by Tom Aspinall's cheating accusations as he heads into an interim heavyweight title fight with Alex Pereira.
Aspinall has accused Gane of intentionally eye-poking him in their UFC heavyweight title fight, which ended in a no contest at UFC 321 last October after Aspinall could not continue. The referee deemed the eye poke accidental, and Aspinall has claimed the foul caused a serious eye injury that required surgery.
Gane brushed off the charge, saying, "That is his opinion," before pointing to the official on the night. "You have a beautiful, professional referee. The referee told me nothing because I respect the rules. It's just an opinion. Everyone's opinion is OK."
An interim heavyweight title bout was later arranged, with Gane now scheduled to face Pereira in the co-main event of UFC Freedom 250 at the White House. Looking back at the Aspinall matchup, Gane said, "I'm going to say more than Tom, but the fight with Tom was huge also because a lot of people were waiting for this fight, like a new breed, new generation of heavyweight," while calling the upcoming event "unique and just historic" and adding, "I'm really happy, and also Pereira is a great champion."
Gane, who holds a 13-2 MMA record and 10-2 in the UFC, describes himself as settled under the spotlight. "I've been there already," he said. "Now I'm a veteran. This is not my first time. I am not pressured by all of this now. I'm really comfortable with this situation, and this has helped me a lot. I'm really more focused on my opponent; that's the only thing I need."
