Ciryl Gane believes he will be fully prepared for Tom Aspinall when they collide at UFC 321.
Gane is a former interim UFC Heavyweight Champion, but he hasn’t held the undisputed gold yet. He will have a third chance to do so when he meets Aspinall on Oct. 25 in Abu Dhabi. Aspinall is a sizable betting favorite going into the title fight, but Gane thinks the work he’s put in behind the scenes will pay off.
Speaking to reporters during a press conference in Paris, “Bon Gamin” had high praise for his team (h/t MMAFighting).
“Sometimes life is a little bit strange because some bad results and then people think that you’ve never worked on your ground game, on your grappling,” Gane said. “But believe me, as someone who’s come from Thai boxing as well, I’ve got a team behind me. My coach Fernand Lopez, we’ve worked on our ground game.
“These are experts. We know exactly what we’re doing. Sometimes I’ve not been able to show it and that’s on me, but this time, believe me, I’ve been working, and hopefully I can show it this time around.”
Gane’s last bout was a highly debated split decision over Alexander Volkov. Many experts felt that Volkov did enough in the fight to secure a win. Even UFC CEO Dana White approached Volkov after the score totals were read and said he’ll “make things right.” Volkov will meet Jailton Almeida in a potential title eliminator at UFC 321.
Aspinall hasn’t been defeated since suffering a knee injury against Curtis Blaydes back in 2022. He eventually avenged that loss by starching Blaydes in one minute. Aspinall has developed the reputation of being a knockout artist, but Gane hasn’t been stopped via strikes in his pro MMA career up to this point.
Keep it locked on BJPenn.com for updates on the UFC 321 card.