UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall ‘Exaggerated’ Eye Injury by Acting, Claims Ciryl Gane

Ciryl Gane has thrown Tom Aspinall under the bus for exaggerating his injury suffered because of the eye poke inflicted by the Frenchman.

UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall ‘Exaggerated’ Eye Injury by Acting, Claims Ciryl Gane

Ciryl Gane believes Tom Aspinall overdid his reaction to the UFC 321 eye poke (via MMAMag, Reddit)

In Short
  • Ciryl Gane claims Tom Aspinall exaggerated his eye injury following a no-contest at UFC 321.
  • Aspinall underwent double eye surgery for significant traumatic bilateral Brown’s syndrome.
  • Gane's comments have faced backlash from fans, with accusations of him being a dirty fighter.

Ciryl Gane threw the UFC heavyweight division in disarray after poking Tom Aspinall in the eye at UFC 321. The foul from Gane not only caused the main event that night to end in a no-contest, but also made it so that Aspinall required eye surgery. The heavyweight champion has been on the shelf ever since, but Gane thinks his opponent exaggerated the damage done by the eye poke.

Tom Aspinall, for his part, has undergone double eye surgery following the injury he suffered. Through a medical report in an Instagram post, the heavyweight champion revealed that he was diagnosed with significant traumatic bilateral Brown syndrome. This is a rare eye condition caused by severe trauma to the eyes.

Despite all this, Ciryl Gane has called out his former opponent in an interview with RMC Sport Combat for exaggerating his reaction to the foul at UFC 321. He also pushed back against the narrative that the foul was intentional. The Frenchman emphasized the notion that Tom Aspinall should have communicated his circumstances better throughout this whole ordeal.

[Tom Aspinall’s] communication strategy was terrible…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. He said so many things and spent so much time trying to accuse me of who knows what…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.

Ciryl Gane via RMC Sport Combat

Eddie Hearn and Matchroom are the agency Ciryl Gane is likely referring to here. Tom Aspinall signed with them as his relationship with the UFC soured, at the height of Hearn’s feud with Dana White. Hearn even claimed that his fellow Englishman was unwilling to return to the UFC after the company and the fans allegedly turned on him.

Nonetheless, Gane’s analysis of the situation has garnered a lot of pushback from fans. The comments under the X post of his interview are filled with fans reaffirming his status as a dirty fighter. Tom Aspinall also did this when he posted a highlight reel of Ciryl Gane’s fouls inside the octagon. So, these comments are not winning ‘Bon Gamin’ any supporters.

That said, Gane’s comments may simply be a way to add heat to his rivalry with the heavyweight champion of the world. Aspinall recently confirmed that his next opponent will be the winner of the interim title fight between Alex Pereira and Gane. So, this could be the Frenchman selling a potential rematch. However, a former opponent of Ciryl Gane has dismissed his upcoming title fight as fake.

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Alexander Volkov says Ciryl Gane vs Alex Pereira is not a true title fight

After defeating Sergei Pavlovich in 2024, Alexander Volkov was riding on a 4-fight win streak heading into the Ciryl Gane fight at UFC 310. The Russian was perfectly poised for a title shot till the controversial split decision loss to Gane brought his momentum to a screeching halt.

Ciryl Gane, Alexander Volkov
Alexander Volkov upset after losing a controversial decision to Ciryl Gane. [via talkSPORT]

Many argue that Alexander Volkov actually won his fight against Ciryl Gane at UFC 310. Even Dana White himself was shocked by the result, going over to Volkov after the loss to apologize to him. Nonetheless, it was the Frenchman who ended up getting a title shot against Tom Aspinall and then a call-up to fight Alex Pereira at the White House.

Alexander Volkov has rubbished this turn of events, claiming he is on a 6-fight win streak in an interview with Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting. ‘Drago’ downplayed the legitimacy of the upcoming heavyweight interim title fight at UFC Freedom 250, saying the winner is inconsequential.

It doesn’t matter who wins. If Ciryl Gane wins, he will beat a UFC star. He will go on the next media level. If Alex Pereira wins, he won like third title in his career, so he will be good. Anyway, UFC won with this fight. And it will be for sure not like a boring fight, but it’s not a true title fight. It’s more like a promotional or media fight.

Ciryl Gane via MMA Fighting

Even if Alexander Volkov himself does not consider the upcoming heavyweight title fight as legitimate, the winner getting a shot at the undisputed belt certainly does legitimize it. This is especially when the heavyweight champion of the world confirmed it in his latest statement. Ultimately, Volkov was simply on the wrong side of a decision at UFC 310.

However, Volkov’s loss proved very consequential for Ciryl Gane as he has gone on to receive not one but two title shots off that win. Even so, only his performance at the White House will determine if he gets a third, this time at the undisputed belt as Tom Aspinall nears a return.

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