TLDR
- Tom Aspinall vacated the UFC heavyweight title in September 2026 due to ongoing eye problems from his October 2025 fight with Ciryl Gane
- Gane was elevated from interim to undisputed champion and will defend the title against Josh Hokit at UFC 334 on November 14
- Aspinall accused Gane of deliberately poking him in the eyes multiple times during their fight, calling him a ‘big cheater’
- Gane responded by calling Aspinall ‘mentally fragile’ and defended himself by saying fouls happen in nearly every UFC fight
- Multiple fighters including Alex Pereira and Jon Jones have previously accused Gane of illegal strikes during their fights
Sources: yardbarker.com | skysports.com | mmamania.com
UFC heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane has responded to cheating accusations from former champion Tom Aspinall, calling the British fighter “mentally fragile” ahead of his title defense at UFC 334.
Gane was elevated from interim to undisputed champion after Aspinall vacated the belt on September 14, 2026. Aspinall cited ongoing eye complications from their October 2025 fight, which ended in a no-contest due to an eye poke.
The Eye Poke Controversy
The controversy stems from Gane’s fight with Aspinall at UFC 321, where a double eye poke forced the referee to stop the bout. Aspinall initially believed the foul was accidental but later claimed Gane attempted the illegal move multiple times throughout the first round.
“Brother, you got poked in the eye. You have the right to stop,” Gane told Zack Nanit TV in French. “But you don’t need to do everything you did in terms of public statements, because it worked against him.”
This filthy fraud who never ONCE had a fair fight is talking about Aspinall being mentally fragile after possibly ending his career
The audacity this freak has is genuinely insane, what is Tom mentally fragile for exactly after YOU doing this to him??pic.twitter.com/Kw4Q82Xm3Z https://t.co/jED8I9fORB
— Mohi (@mohithegoat) September 22, 2026
Aspinall underwent multiple surgeries to address his eye issues but has been unable to get medical clearance to fight. In his statement vacating the title, Aspinall said the eye poke from Gane ultimately forced him to step away from competition.
“I have had multiple surgeries, accidents and infections, and done everything possible to get back to competing,” Aspinall said. “I don’t want to hold the heavyweight division up.”
Several journalists, including Ariel Helwani and Adam Catterall, argued the referee should have disqualified Gane instead of ruling the fight a no-contest. Aspinall called Gane a “big cheater” in public statements following the incident.
Gane Defends His Record
Gane pushed back against the cheating narrative by arguing that fouls occur in nearly every UFC event. “Something happens almost every weekend,” Gane stated. “It happens so often. It’s not like I’m saying this to brush it off.”
The French fighter pointed to other examples of fouls in MMA, including low blows and accidental strikes to the back of the head. He said fighters and officials have unfairly singled him out despite fouls being common across the sport.
However, Gane has faced multiple accusations of illegal strikes from other fighters. Alex Pereira accused him of landing illegal rabbit punches to the back of the head during their co-main event bout at UFC White House.
Jon Jones also called out Gane for a low blow during their UFC 285 title fight. Former UFC champion Demetrious Johnson suggested Gane’s fighting style can lead to unintentional fouls.
Gane called Aspinall “mentally fragile” based on his body language and public statements following their fight. “We knew he was a little mentally fragile,” Gane said. “Everything that happened after our fight confirms that the guy complains quite a bit.”
The newly crowned undisputed champion will make his first title defense against Josh Hokit on November 14 at UFC 334. The event will take place at Madison Square Garden in New York.
