UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has expressed his eagerness to face Frenchman Ciryl Gane in an undisputed title bout in Paris this September. Aspinall, who is currently recuperating from an eye injury, witnessed Gane secure the interim heavyweight title by defeating Alex Pereira at Sunday's UFC Freedom 250 event.
Despite not explicitly naming Aspinall after his victory, the 36-year-old Gane has made it clear he is prepared for a rematch. The British champion, Aspinall, has now publicly called for the highly anticipated contest to take place on French soil. "Paris in September? I'll do that," Aspinall stated. "I'll go to Paris. Let me know. I'll be there."
The first encounter between the two fighters last October was declared a no-contest following repeated eye pokes from Gane, which left Aspinall unable to continue. The Briton underwent surgery in February to address damage to both eyes, though he confirmed in May that he had resumed non-contact training.
Aspinall had previously labelled Gane a "cheater" after their initial bout and has now voiced criticism regarding Gane's use of elbows during his recent win over Pereira. Gane dropped Pereira with a left hand before appearing to land elbows to the back of the Brazilian's head, an action considered illegal in mixed martial arts. However, referee Herb Dean did not call a foul during the fight.
The second-round stoppage at the event, which notably coincided with US President Donald Trump's 80th birthday, ended Pereira's ambition of becoming the UFC's first three-division champion. Commenting on the controversial finish, the 33-year-old Aspinall said, "[The elbows] look a bit illegal. They look very illegal. What is going on? Dropped him with a jab and he's swinging now trying to finish him. He looked good. I have to watch that again. Looked like there was a lot of illegal elbows going on. Illegal punches but generally he looked good."