Can Gane Beat Aspinall?

Ciryl Gane (13-2-0) says he is ready to beat Tom Aspinall (15-3-0) on October 25 at UFC 321 in a bid to win the UFC Heavyweight Title.

The ex-UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion is facing his third opportunity to claim the belt, having previously lost title fights to Francis Ngannou (UFC 270, January 2022) and Jon Jones (UFC 285, March 2023). Gane’s last fight was a controversial split decision win over Alexander Volkov at UFC 310 last December, with many hitting out at the decision. However, Gane is convinced that his hard work will pay off.

“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 said 

The Approach

Gane’s primary path to victory lies in his striking and footwork. The Frenchman is arguably the most mobile and technical striker in the heavyweight division. He will need to use his speed and agility to stay on the outside, frustrate Aspinall, and land jabs and kicks. Gane’s goal will be to avoid getting into a brawl, which would play directly into Aspinall’s hands. He has shown in his fights against powerful strikers like Francis Ngannou and Derrick Lewis that his movement can be a major problem.

The biggest question mark in Gane’s game has been his grappling, but the former interim champion insists he has been working on it. While Aspinall’s ground game is a significant part of his arsenal, Gane doesn’t need to out-wrestle him; he just needs to be able to defend takedowns and get back to his feet quickly. 

Finally, Gane’s durability and experience in five-round fights give him a mental advantage over Aspinall. Gane has never been stopped in his professional MMA career, a major point in his favor against a knockout artist like Aspinall. He has gone the distance in title fights and is comfortable in the championship rounds, a place Aspinall has rarely been. The pressure is also all on Aspinall, who is the betting favorite and the champion.