Ciryl Gane’s two UFC losses exposed a glaring weakness in his MMA skillset.
The French heavyweight was surprisingly outwrestled by Francis Ngannou at UFC 270 in January 2022.
In March 2023, Jon Jones submitted him in 124 seconds after easily getting their at UFC 285 title fight to the floor.
So, it seems obvious what Tom Aspinall‘s easiest route to victory will be when they clash next month.
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Tom Aspinall expects improved Ciryl Gane
The undisputed heavyweight champion will put his belt on the line against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 on October 25.
Tom Aspinall won’t commit to a heavy-wrestling approach when they fight, as he believes ‘Bon Gamin’ has been working on his grappling game after it was exposed in back-to-back UFC title fights.
The 31-year-old believes Gane could be preparing to surprise him with his new and improved wrestling skills at UFC 321.
“It’s an MMA fight, so anything can happen,” Aspinall said during an exclusive interview with Bloody Elbow.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he tried to take me down. It’s MMA, so I’m preparing for everything.
“I work with really high-level guys in all aspects. I’m comfortable anywhere and I’ll take the path of least resistance, however that looks on the night.
“We’ve seen that Ciryl has holes in his ground game, but he’s improved. Stuff like that gives you an opportunity to improve. I wouldn’t be surprised if we get in a lot of grappling exchanges this time, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we have a straight-up standup fight either.
“You’ve gotta be ready for anything in MMA, and I’m preparing for everything.”
Tom Aspinall’s spell on the sidelines
Tom Aspinall hasn’t fought since knocking out Curtis Blaydes in 60 seconds at UFC 304 in July 2024.
Since then, he’s spent much of his time trying to make an ill-fated fight with Jon Jones.
Aspinall is frustrated that the match never came together, but happy with how he’s utilized his time on the sidelines.
We’ve got such a great energy at the minute. Obviously, there’s f—ing a lot of hard work going on. We’re in a training camp for a world title fight, so there’s a lot of hard work going on,” he said.
I’ve used the time really well. I’ve been training the full time and feeling good. I’ve been helping the other guys with their fights… Everyone has been fighting, so I have been in camp with them. I obviously thought I had a fight coming up a few times against Jon Jones.
“I haven’t just been sitting down eating a chippy. I’ve been in the gym and improving, so I feel good about it.