Ciryl Gane Fires Back at UFC Interim Champ Tom Aspinall Over Ducking Claims: ‘I’ve Already Called Him Out’

UFC fans might remember how Tom Aspinall accused Ciryl Gane of not responding to his challenges, implying that the French native was ducking him. However, Gane has a different narrative as he recently responded to Aspinall, insisting that the allegations are completely made up.

‘Honey Badger’ had to sit out on the sidelines for a long time since the heavyweight division was in limbo due to Jon Jones’ injury. However, Dana White and his team figured out a situation and awarded him an interim title shot against Sergei Pavlovich in November 2023. Since then Aspinall has been clamoring for another fight which keeps getting delayed.

During that time Aspinall called out several fighters in the heavyweight division in the hopes of landing a fight. While Gane was one of the fighters Aspinall targetted, the Britisher later claimed that despite his numerous callouts, ‘Bon Gamin’ never accepted his challenge.

Well, in an effort to set the record straight, Gane hit back at Aspinall during a recent interview with ‘La Sueur,’ saying,

“[Aspinall] only accepts my fights when I cannot. He likes to say that I refuse him but the truth is that I have already called him out on the networks…Now that he is above, he allows himself to say “no, no, no”. No problem, we’ll meet each other.”

Ciryl Gane responds to Tom Aspinall’s claims of Ciryl ducking him

“[Aspinall] only accepts my fights when I cannot. He likes to say that I refuse him but the truth is that I have already called him out on the networks…

Now that he is above, he allows himself to say “no,… pic.twitter.com/34yWESLG7L

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) July 12, 2024

In his most recent outing, ‘Bon Gamin’ secured a win against Sergey Spivak in September 2023. The UFC returns to Paris this September for the second time and Gane will most definitely be part of the fight card there. If both he and Aspinall win their respective bouts, the two men could potentially face each other in the near future.

However, apart from Gane, what could be waiting for Aspinall in the coming months?

A closer look at what is next for Aspinall

Since Jon Jones refused to fight Aspinall directly, the UFC has booked the Britisher to defend his interim title against Curtis Blaydes a few weeks from now. The winner is set to take on the winner of Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic.

 

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Although that fight is not confirmed as of yet, rumors suggest that Jones vs Miocic will take place in November at the Madison Square Garden. In the meantime, Aspinall has been going back and forth with Jones for a while now on social media, and a potential fight between the pair would be huge in more ways than one.