Tom Aspinall reacts to Ciryl Gane’s win over Alex Pereira after landing ‘a lot of illegal elbows’

Tom Aspinall watched Ciryl Gane's dominant second-round knockout of Alex Pereira at the UFC White House event with a keen eye—literally and figuratively. Aspinall holds the heavyweight title but has been sidelined since October, when an eye poke from Gane resulted in a no-contest. With his recovery underway, the champion observed Sunday's interim title fight between those two contenders, knowing the winner would await him once cleared to compete.

Gane dismantled Pereira with a standing knockout, but Aspinall's post-fight commentary on his YouTube channel flagged a significant concern: a series of elbows and punches that appeared to land illegally to the back of Pereira's head during the finishing sequence. "They look very illegal," Aspinall said, watching Gane continue his assault until the referee stopped the fight to spare Pereira further damage.

The loss derailed what had been positioned as a historic opportunity for Pereira—Dana White had suggested that a three-division championship would vault him toward GOAT status. Instead, Gane reasserted himself as a top contender with a commanding performance. Though Gane did not directly name Aspinall, he made clear his readiness for a rematch and suggested a September showdown in Paris, where the UFC has scheduled a card.

Aspinall responded without hesitation to the challenge. "Paris in September? I'll do that," he said. "Let me know. I don't mind. I'll go to Paris." The exchange signals that despite his ongoing recovery, Aspinall appears willing to return to the octagon for a high-stakes rematch in enemy territory, potentially as soon as early autumn—provided his medical clearance comes through.