Ciryl Gane responds to Tom Aspinall calling him a cheater after eye poke controversy: ‘This is his opinion’

Ciryl Gane is brushing aside criticism from Tom Aspinall as he prepares for an interim heavyweight title fight against Alex Pereira at UFC White House: Freedom 250 on Sunday.

Aspinall has labeled Gane a "cheater" following their October bout, which ended in a no-contest after a brutal eye poke left Aspinall unable to continue. Aspinall subsequently underwent multiple surgeries to repair the damage and maintains that Gane's eye pokes were deliberate rather than accidental. However, Gane dismissed the accusations during UFC White House media day, characterizing them as merely opinion.

"This is his opinion," Gane said. "We have a beautiful, professional referee. The referee told me nothing because I respect the rules. It's just an opinion. Everybody has an opinion. It's OK."

Gane acknowledged that the stoppage itself left him with mixed emotions immediately after the fight—frustration, anger, and sadness given his training sacrifices—but he has moved forward and turned his full focus toward Pereira and capturing the interim title. While Gane remains open to a rematch with Aspinall down the line, his priority now is Sunday's bout. He noted that fighting injury-free and maintaining his health remain paramount, and he was pleased to complete the first round against Aspinall unscathed despite how the fight concluded.