“Blueprint’s been out,” Francis Ngannou’s coach reveals why Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane fight did not happen

Eric Nicksick analyzed the reason for Ciryl Gane declining the fight with Tom Aspinall.

“Blueprint’s been out,” Francis Ngannou’s coach reveals why Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane fight did not happen

Francis Ngannou's coach Eric Nickson commented on Ciryl Gane declining Tom Aspinall fight (via IMAGO)

Former light-heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill conducted a podcast along with UFC middleweight Paul Craig and Francis Ngannou’s coach Eric Nicksick. They were breaking down fights of UFC 295 and that was when Paul Craig revealed that Tom Aspinall was offered to fight Ciryl Gane. But Gane refused it multiple times.

Eric Nicksick referred to the fight Ciryl Gane had against Jon Jones. ‘Bones’ exposed Gane’s weakness in wrestling as he finished the fight via submission in the first round. So, Nicksick analyzed Gane had no improvement in wrestling compared to his previous fights with Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones. Tom Aspinall was known for his wrestling and submission which made him the worst opponent Gane could choose. Here is what Nicksid said:

"Ciryl does not want that bro. Ciryl does not want that. The blueprint's out. I don't think it is Ciryl that is saying no. I think it is Fernand (Ciryl Gane's Coach) saying he's going to take you down and that's a wrap. Blueprint's been out. There's zero development in growth in his wrestling from Francis to Jon Jones."
Eric Nicksick (via WarCouncil with Jamahal Hill )
YouTube video

Tom Aspinall called out Ciryl Gane after his victory over Marcin Tybura in July. He made quick work of Tybura which made a statement to fight higher in the rankings and go for the belt. It was his comeback fight after a catastrophic knee injury that happened in 2022. Meantime, Ciryl Gane fought for the title against Jon Jones and lost.

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Ciryl Gane made his comeback in September to win against Sergei Spivac. He put on a dominating performance to stake his claim to challenge for the title. So, matching these two fighters to decide on the title challenger made sense. But since Gane declined the fight, it was never made. Now Aspinall is fighting for the interim heavyweight title this weekend.

Ciryl Gane reasoned why he declined the Tom Aspinall fight

Ciryl Gane, after his dominating win against Sergei Spivac responded to the callout of Tom Aspinall. The British fighter was one of the rising contenders in the heavyweight division. A knee injury had sidelined him for a year.

But he came back with a spectacular win in July 2023 and called out the number one contender Ciryl Gane in his post-fight interview. But, the latter declined the fight.

Ciryl Gane - Tom Aspinall
Ciryl Gane – Tom Aspinall(Image via Imago)

‘Bon Gamin’ stated fighting Tom Aspinall was illogical. He reasoned it by saying that Aspinall was ranked fourth in the division and he didn’t want to fight below the rankings. However, Gane was the number one contender and the only one above him was the champion, Jon Jones. But Jones had a fight booked for a fight with Stipe Miocic. As such, Gane was willing to wait but said fighting Aspinall was too risky.

I  know a lot of people are talking about Aspinall, but this just doesn't make sense for me. I just want to go to the belt. I am No.1 contender, he is No.4. It just doesn't make sense to just want to go down. I did it already. It was a big risk against this wrestler.
Ciryl Gane (via MMA Hour)

Due to unfortunate circumstances, the Jon Jones-Stipe Miocic fight was canceled. This led Tom Aspinall to fight for an interim heavyweight championship on short notice. As such, Sergei Pavlovich is his opponent. This fight is going down this weekend at UFC 295.

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