Ciryl Gane Questions Tom Aspinall's Mental Toughness Over Eye Poke
The short version
- Ciryl Gane and Tom Aspinall fought at UFC 321, which ended early due to an eye poke.
- Gane said Aspinall had the right to stop but overreacted, calling him mentally fragile.
- Aspinall has reportedly vacated his title amid a recovery that is not going as planned.
- Gane cited his own eye poke against Derrick Lewis at UFC 265 in 2021, which he fought through to win.
Ciryl Gane says Tom Aspinall overreacted to the eye poke that ended their UFC heavyweight fight nearly a year ago.
Ciryl Gane has renewed his war of words with Tom Aspinall, suggesting the British heavyweight was mentally fragile in how he handled the eye poke that ended their fight at UFC 321 nearly a year ago.
In an interview, Gane said Aspinall had every right to stop the bout but went too far in his reaction. The Frenchman also said the poke did not feel forceful to him, even if it appeared that way.
Gane pointed to his own experience at UFC 265 in 2021, when he says Derrick Lewis poked him in the eye during their interim heavyweight title fight. Gane said he saw double for several minutes but kept fighting and defeated Lewis.
The latest comments come as Aspinall faces a difficult recovery that has forced him to vacate his title, according to the report.
