Cruz Defends Gane Against Cheating Claims

Dominick Cruz and T.J. Dillashaw are pushing back against accusations that UFC heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane fights dirty.

Gane was promoted to undisputed champion after Tom Aspinall was ruled out indefinitely following an eye poke during their UFC 321 bout in October 2025. The fight ended in a no-contest, and Aspinall has undergone multiple eye surgeries since. Gane defended his interim strap against Alex Pereira at UFC White House before being elevated to undisputed status.

Cruz and Dillashaw Reject Cheater Label

On Cruz's Love & War podcast, the two former bantamweight champions argued that critics are misreading Gane's intentions. Cruz said he takes responsibility when opponents land fouls on him. "I always said if you can poke me in my eye, I'm doing something wrong," he told Dillashaw, per MMA Fighting. "You can punch me in my head. Trying to hit my head is so hard, if you can poke me in the eye, that's my problem, so we agree on that and I think that's why he's not a cheater."

Dillashaw, who served a two-year suspension after testing positive for a banned substance in 2019, said the backlash stems from Pereira's popularity rather than deliberate rule-breaking. He pointed to illegal shots to the back of the head that landed during Gane's finish of Pereira, noting the Brazilian was moving his head as the blows connected. Dillashaw added that referee Herb Dean has been unfairly criticized over the sequence.

Gane is expected to make his first undisputed title defense in early 2027, with no opponent yet announced.

Reported via:

• MMA Fighting — Morning Report: Dominick Cruz, T.J. Dillashaw defend Ciryl Gane against ‘cheater’ accusations