UFC interim-heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has accused Ciryl Gane of ducking multiple opponent and it’s led to Gane vowing to fight him later this year.
“He’s dismissed me on multiple occasions, and I’m not the first guy he’s dismissed,” Aspinall said on “The MMA Hour show this week. “I’m not the first guy that he’s ducked. It’s out there for people to see. The reason that I got the Pavlovich fight is because Ciryl didn’t want it.
“He ducked Pavlovich. He then ducked Curtis Blaydes. Curtis Blaydes has been on record saying that. I asked for him years ago. He didn’t want it then. Then I asked for him in Paris. They flew me over; we tried to make that fight. He didn’t want it then, and we’ll see what the UFC wants to do.”
Gane has since responded, denying that he’s purposefully attempted to avoid fighting anyone, while suggesting a potential date for a showdown between the two in the Octagon.
“@AspinallMMA, I never, ever say no to any challenge or any opponent. Blaydes was never an option,” Gane wrote on X. “They said Pavlovich, I said yes. Don’t worry, I’ll see you in September, stop tripping @Mickmaynard2 @danawhite.”
Gane appears to be referring to an event in his native Paris, France in September that hasn’t been officially announced yet. However, suggesting that may be wishful thinking on his part since it seems a more likely destination would be the UK given that Dana White has already indicated they are planning a big PPV event their later this year, with Aspinall almost certain to be a central focus of those plans given that he’s the UFC’s first ever interim-heavyweight champion from that region.
