Gane Rips Aspinall After Heavyweight Title Vacated

Ciryl Gane called Tom Aspinall "mentally fragile" after the British fighter vacated the UFC heavyweight title last week to focus on recovering from eye injuries.

Aspinall has not competed since a no contest against Gane at UFC 321, a bout that ended when multiple eye pokes left him unable to continue. He repeatedly accused Gane of cheating during his injury hiatus before announcing he would relinquish the belt rather than hold up the division. Gane was promoted to undisputed champion following an interim title win over Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250 earlier this year.

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Gane Questions Aspinall's Mental Toughness

Speaking to Zack Nani TV, as reported by BJPenn.com, Gane questioned how his former opponent handled the situation. "We knew he was fragile mentally," Gane said. "The guy complains a bit too much. You got poked in the eyes; you have a right to stop. If you feel pain, there's an issue. There's no need to do all that you did in terms of communication because it worked against you in the end."

The Frenchman suggested Aspinall's public criticism backfired. Aspinall has not responded to the comments.

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Gane defends his undisputed heavyweight title against Josh Hokit at UFC 334 later this year. Hokit earned the shot after recent wins over Derrick Lewis and Curtis Blaydes.

Reported via:

• BJPenn — Ciryl Gane rips ‘mentally fragile’ Tom Aspinall after vacating UFC title