Ciryl Gane denies UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall‘s accusations that he has been avoiding him and other contenders, stating that he never refuses any challenge or opponent and plans to face Aspinall in the fall.
Ciryl Gane’s got something to say. He’s not one to dodge a fight, and he’s calling out UFC interim heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall for suggesting otherwise. Aspinall’s been throwing shade, saying Gane’s been ducking him and other contenders.
Aspinall’s accusations came during Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour. The rising star didn’t hold back. Gane, however, didn’t let the comments slide. He took to Twitter to respond, even hinting at a fall showdown with Aspinall.
In a tweet, Gane said, “@AspinallMMA, I never, ever say no to any challenge or any opponent.” He added, “Blaydes was never an option. They said Pavlovich, I said yes.” He ended with a promise to Aspinall, “Don’t worry, I’ll see you in September, stop tripping.”
Gane’s record in 2023 was a mixed bag. He faced off against Jon Jones in UFC 285’s main event for the vacant heavyweight title. It didn’t end well for Gane, who was quickly submitted in the first round.
But, he’s not one to stay down. Six months later, he was back in the win column, demolishing Serghei Spivac at UFC Paris via a second-round TKO. Aspinall was there, hoping for a fight with Gane. It didn’t happen, leading Aspinall to take on Sergei Pavlovich for the interim heavyweight title at UFC 295. Aspinall won, stopping Pavlovich in the first round.
Aspinall’s got his sights set on a rematch with Curtis Blaydes for his first title defense. It could happen this summer when the UFC returns to the U.K. But, if the UFC offers him Gane, he’d take it, despite some hard feelings. Aspinall claims Gane’s turned him down before, along with Blaydes and Pavlovich.
Aspinall’s not pulling punches. “He’s dismissed me on multiple occasions and I’m not the first guy he’s dismissed, I’m not the first guy that he’s ducked,” he said. He believes he got the Pavlovich fight because Gane didn’t want it. “So he ducked Pavlovich, he then ducked Curtis Blaydes — Curtis Blaydes has been on record saying that.”
Aspinall says he’s asked for Gane before, but was turned down. “I then asked for him in Paris. They flew me over, we tried to make that fight, he didn’t want it then. So we’ll see what the UFC [wants] to do.”