Ciryl Gane has the opportunity to change a narrative he doesn’t believe is true at UFC Freedom 250. Heading into Sunday’s interim heavyweight title fight against Alex Pereira, Gane carries a tainted reputation. A clean and decisive win can do wonders for changing that.
Gane fights for the first time since challenging Tom Aspinall for the heavyweight title. Their fight ended in a no-contest after Aspinall suffered eye pokes that shelved him indefinitely. Initially, there was debate over the severity of the fouls. But after it was revealed that Aspinall needed multiple surgeries to correct his vision, fans soured on Gane. Look online, and you’ll find countless compilations of illegal strikes he’s committed, ranging from eye pokes to groin kicks and strikes behind the head.
Gane dismisses the idea that he’s a dirty fighter.
“No, unfortunately, at every event, every week, something happens,” Gane mentioned. “Even if it’s in a bad way, let people talk about me. Whatever, I know that I’m not a cheater.”
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Gane rejects that his actions are intentional. He chalked the fouls up to the realities of mixed martial arts, where targets move in fractions of a second. A clean inside leg kick can suddenly drift to the groin if an opponent changes levels. He argues the same is true for eye pokes and pointed to how Aspinall’s teammate, Ante Delija, committed a similar foul one week after UFC 321.
“Unfortunately, when you land something, sometimes the opponent changes levels, and your strike strays off target,” Gane mentioned. “With the eyes, unfortunately, one week after our fight, you saw Tom Aspinall’s training partner do exactly the same thing. Every weekend, you see this. Unfortunately, we have small gloves.”
Extending fingers towards your opponent’s face is already illegal, meaning eye pokes are often symptoms of preceding fouls. Eye pokes have become increasingly emphasized in MMA. Referees are quicker to issue warnings and deduct points than they were in the past. Gane insists the scrutiny hasn’t changed his approach to fights.
“I’ve always been careful. My hand was like that,” Gane showed the camera with his palm facing out, and fingers extended to the sky. “Unfortunately, when you want to keep the guy away from you, and you have only his face, sometimes there’s a bad reflex.”
The sequence against Aspinall is a complex case. Under the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, fighters are allowed to push an opponent’s face with an open palm. Gane says that’s exactly what he attempted to do before contact slid into Aspinall’s eye. However, fighters are responsible for maintaining control of their offensive and defensive weapons.
“I pushed his face because it was the first thing I had. I don’t think the referee was angry with me because I did something wrong,” Gane mentioned. “I pushed, and it slid on his face and into his eyes.”
Gane occupies a strange place in the heavyweight division.
On the one hand, he’s tied to the just in delay in a weight class that’s struggled to maintain momentum. Sunday marks his fifth UFC heavyweight title fight, interim or undisputed, in as many years. Those are opportunities that exceed his accomplishments. On the other hand, few fighters have consistently faced the level of competition that Gane has. Between Francis Ngannou, Jon Jones, Aspinall and soon Pereira, he has fought the two best heavyweights today and two of the all-time greatest fighters.
There’s more at stake for Gane on Sunday than the interim heavyweight title. Fair or not, much of the conversation surrounding him centers on fouls rather than achievements. Fighting at the White House — the biggest stage the UFC has ever had — Gane has an opportunity to clean up his questionable legacy with one crucial performance.
*Author’s note: Some quotes were tweaked for clarity
