One top UFC heavyweight believes Ciryl Gane doesn’t have the motivation needed to defeat Tom Aspinall.
Undisputed UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall will make his first title defense against former interim titleholder Ciryl Gane in the UFC 321 main event in October. Aspinall was promoted to undisputed champion after Jon Jones‘s retirement last month, and this will be Gane’s third career lineal UFC title shot.
After the UFC 321 fight announcement, Gane has been seen playing Basketball and Football in his native France. Some have questioned whether or not Gane is 100 percent focused on his upcoming heavyweight title shot, especially ahead of a puzzle like Aspinall.
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Jailton Almeida questions Ciryl Gane’s motivation ahead of UFC 321 title shot
Gane’s title shot against Aspinall came despite falling short in previous title fights against Jones and Francis Ngannou. Jones submitted Gane in seconds at UFC 285, while Ngannou earned a unanimous decision victory at UFC 270.
Gane’s upcoming UFC 321 headliner could potentially be his final shot at earning heavyweight gold. Despite the added pressure ahead of UFC 321, one top contender believes Gane has already put himself at a disadvantage.
In a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, UFC heavyweight contender Jailton Almeida questioned Gane’s readiness for the Aspinall title shot.
“I’m pretty sure that Aspinall beats Gane. It seems like Gane has other priorities in his life right now, and once you’re fighting at this level there can be no other priority…you have to be all-in. It doesn’t seem like that’s the case for Gane right now,” Almeida said of Gane.
“I get it that he’s taking the title shot because who’s not going to take another title fight for the heavyweight belt? But I think his priorities are in a different place now.”
Almeida will share a card with Gane and Aspinall at UFC 321. Almeida will square off with Gane’s two-time rival, Alexander Volkov, on the main card in a likely No. 1 contender fight.
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In a separate interview with Ariel Helwani, Gane’s longtime coach Fernand Lopez shut down Almeida’s claims, affirming that Gane is laser-focused on his upcoming heavyweight title fight. Aspinall and Gane have been linked to a fight several times during their careers.
Gane is coming off of a controversial win over Volkov at UFC 310 in December. UFC CEO Dana White apologized to Volkov for the perceived robbery, but decided to give Gane the next title shot regardless.
Aspinall is also entering UFC 321 with some added pressure with Jones’s shadow casted over the division. He promised to ‘get rid’ of Gane at UFC 321 and eliminate his place in the heavyweight title picture.