Ciryl Gane refutes UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall’s claims that Gane has been ducking him, and other contenders in the division.
Aspinall appeared on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, where the rising star made those claims. Shortly thereafter, Gane reacted to Aspinall’s words on Twitter, and even stated that he would see Aspinall this fall.
.@AspinallMMA, I never, ever say no to any challenge or any opponent.
Blaydes was never an option.
They said Pavlovich, I said yes.
Don’t worry, I’ll see you in September, stop tripping @Mickmaynard2 @danawhite
— Ciryl Gane (@ciryl_gane) April 9, 2024
“I never, ever say no to any challenge or any opponent,” Gane told Aspinall. “[Curtis] Blaydes was never an option. They said [Sergei] Pavlovich, I said yes. Don’t worry, I’ll see you in September. Stop tripping.”
Gane competed twice in 2023, where he went 1-1. “Bon Gamin” welcomed Jon Jones back to the octagon in the main event of UFC 285 in March 2023 for the vacant heavyweight title, and was quickly submitted in the first round.
The 33-year-old bounced back in the win column six months later where he destroyed Serghei Spivac at UFC Paris via second-round TKO. Aspinall happened to be in attendance for that card as he hoped it would lead to a fight with Gane, but it never materialized, leading Aspinall to face Sergei Pavlovich for the interim heavyweight title at November’s UFC 295 event. Aspinall stopped Pavlovich in the first round to win the championship.
Aspinall would love to get a rematch with Curtis Blaydes for his first title defense — which could happen this summer when the UFC returns to the U.K. for an expected pay-per-view event. When asked by Ariel Helwani how he would react should the UFC offer him Gane, Aspinall said he would certainly take it, but there are some hard feelings after he claims Gane turned down fights with him — as well as Blaydes and Pavlovich.
“He’s dismissed me on multiple occasions and I’m not the first guy he’s dismissed, I’m not the first guy that he’s ducked,” Aspinall said. “It’s out there for people to see. The reason that I got the Pavlovich fight is because Ciryl didn’t want it. So he ducked Pavlovich, he then ducked Curtis Blaydes — Curtis Blaydes has been on record saying that.
“I asked for him years ago, didn’t want it then. I then asked for him in Paris. They flew me over, we tried to make that fight, he didn’t want it then. So we’ll see what the UFC [wants] to do.”
