Tom Aspinall is done waiting. After over a year of delays, the newly crowned undisputed UFC heavyweight champion is set to defend his belt for the first time against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi.
The UFC made it official during a blockbuster Instagram Live announcement, with Dana White confirming the long-awaited clash between two of the fastest heavyweights in the game. This isn’t just another fight for Aspinall. It’s a statement he’s been itching to make ever since Gane turned him down multiple times in the past.
“Finally we’re back after over a year hiatus,” Aspinall said. “Me and Ciryl Gane finally signed on the dotted line. This is the fourth time we’ve been matched up together. He turned me down [for a] fight early on, before we were in the rankings.
“After that, he fought [Serghei] Spivac. I said in a post-fight interview after I beat [Marcin] Tybura [that I was going to fight the winner of that fight at UFC Paris]. I went to Paris. Ciryl, unfortunately, turned down the fight on a second occasion.”
Aspinall’s rise to undisputed champion hasn’t come without complications. After dismantling Sergei Pavlovich in under two minutes at UFC 295 to claim interim gold, he returned at UFC 304 to defend that belt with another rapid finish, this time against Curtis Blaydes. The natural progression pointed toward a title unification bout against Jon Jones, but Jones opted for a legacy fight with Stipe Miocic at UFC 309. Then came the twist, Jones retired, and Aspinall was promoted to undisputed champion.
Even so, the division has thinned out, and despite its history of legends, suitable contenders are few which is maybe the reason partly why Ciryl Gane was given another title shot. Aspinall’s not letting that slow him down.
“I think both me and Ciryl are very,we both have a niche style for heavyweights, we don’t fight like heavyweights, both of us, so this could be the fastest, the best-moving heavyweight fight that anybody has ever seen,” Aspinall said.
“We’re both good movers, we’re both light on our feet, we’re both elusive. So this is gonna be great.
“I think it’s gonna be one of the most exciting heavyweight fights ever. We’re very evenly matched… It’s gonna be a crazy bit of heavyweight action.”
For Aspinall, this is more than just a title defense. It’s a personal mission. Their October 25 headliner in Abu Dhabi will be the fourth time the UFC has tried to book the fight. In Aspinall’s words, the original UFC 304 matchup was meant to be against Gane, but the Frenchman was tied up filming a Netflix series. Now there are no more excuses, no more delays.
“The original opponent was Ciryl Gane. Unfortunately, Ciryl was busy that date [and] was filming his Netflix series. … And now we are matched up for the 25th of October, Abu Dhabi. Me and Ciryl, the fourth attempt is here, and this is Ciryl’s third title shot.”
Aspinall sees this moment as the end of Gane’s run at the top.
“We are going to try and get rid of Ciryl Gane from the title picture for good.”
Tom Aspinall isn’t here to wait in line, he’s ready to push the heavyweight division forward, and Ciryl Gane is the first obstacle in his path.
