Ciryl Gane rips ‘mentally fragile’ Tom Aspinall over UFC fight aftermath

Ciryl Gane has publicly criticized Tom Aspinall's response to their controversial UFC heavyweight title bout, calling the British fighter "mentally fragile." The two collided in October of last year in a fight that ended in a no-contest after Gane delivered a double-eye poke that left Aspinall unable to continue.

While Gane acknowledged Aspinall had every right to stop fighting due to the eye injury, he argued the Englishman compounded the situation through public complaints afterward. Speaking on the "Zack En Roue Libre" podcast, Gane drew a contrast with his own career, noting he fought through an eye poke suffered against Derrick Lewis in 2021 without publicizing grievances. He suggested Aspinall's post-fight statements and body language over the years revealed underlying mental vulnerability, which only worsened his public standing.

Aspinall has remained sidelined with lingering eye complications since the incident. In the interim, Gane captured the interim heavyweight title by knocking out Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250 in June, positioning himself for a rematch and title unification. However, Aspinall recently vacated the belt, allowing Gane to be elevated to undisputed heavyweight champion. Gane is now scheduled to defend his title against undefeated Josh Hokit at UFC 334 on November 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.