UFC heavyweight star Ciryl Gane has finally answered Tom Aspinall’s months of attacks since their no-contest at UFC 321.
Former interim UFC titleholder Ciryl Gane will fight former UFC light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira in the UFC Freedom 250 co-main event next month on the White House lawn. Gane returns to the Octagon after his fight with Tom Aspinall was ruled a no-contest just minutes into the UFC 321 headliner, after Aspinall was hit by several accidental eye pokes.
Since UFC 321, Aspinall has repeatedly accused Gane of being a ‘cheater’ and claimed the former interim champ intentionally injured him inside the Octagon. Aspinall has also come under criticism from fans and some pundits for how he’s handled the aftermath of UFC 321.
Seven months since UFC 321, Gane has been relatively quiet in response to Aspinall’s comments. Ahead of his return this summer, Gane hit back at Aspinall’s claims.
Ciryl Gane: Tom Aspinall ‘exaggerated’ eye injuries and handled stoppage ‘terribly’
In a recent interview with RMC Sport Combat, Gane hit back at Aspinall’s repeated cheating allegations since their fight at UFC 321.
🚨 EXCLU RMC SPORT !
🧨 Ciryl Gane dézingue la communication de Tom Aspinall après leur combat qui s’est terminé sur un no contest à cause d’un doigt dans l’œil du Français.
👀 L’extrait sera à retrouver dans notre film RMC Sport avant le choc entre Ciryl Gane et Alex Pereira pic.twitter.com/Yt79VxMvb3
— RMC Sport Combat (@RMCSportCombat) May 5, 2026
“Tom’s communication strategy was terrible, and today he’s signed with an agency that I hope helps him with his communication, because it was a disaster,” Gane said of Aspinall.
“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,” Gane continued on Aspinall. “Even his own fans must’ve 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 and social media is secondary [to me].”
As of this writing, Aspinall hasn’t responded to Gane’s comments.
Gane isn’t the only UFC personality whose relationship with Aspinall has deteriorated since UFC 321. UFC CEO Dana White recently claimed that he and Aspinall ‘need to talk’ after Aspinall questioned White’s immediate post-fight reactions to the stoppage.
In the meantime, Aspinall’s timeframe for a return to the Octagon to defend his UFC heavyweight title remains uncertain, although Gane will look to secure a potential rematch against Pereira on the White House lawn.
What is your prediction for Ciryl Gane vs. Alex Pereira? Let us know in the comments!