Ciryl Gane: "He's a cheater" - Chael Sonnen fires shot at Ciryl Gane, backs Tom Aspinall to skip rematch after UFC 321 controversy

Chael Sonnen labeled Ciryl Gane a repeat offender after UFC 321 and said that Tom Aspinall should consider moving on from the rematch. Sonnen shared his thoughts on his YouTube channel after the heavyweight title bout between Gane and Aspinall ended in a no-contest due to a double eye poke.

The controversy has reignited criticism of Gane’s fighting habits. The Frenchman’s use of open-hand and extended fingers has been a recurring issue since his UFC debut. He has faced repeated warnings for eye pokes and low blows in previous fights against Francis Ngannou, Alexander Volkov, Tanner Boser, and even Jon Jones.

Despite his reputation as one of the most technical heavyweights, Gane’s defensive style often leads to dangerous contact during exchanges. Sonnen argued that intent should not excuse repeated violations. He said:

“And that’s the thing that we left without. I mean, if I’m in Tom’s shoes, everything is possible right now, including denying the rematch. So, [Gane's] a cheater. He cheated multiple times. I wanted to fight him. I wanted to give him an opportunity. I’ve done all of those things. I’m moving on. I don’t fight guys that are cheaters. Now, I understand that match is still going to get made. I’m talking about you from a storyline perspective, and we have to go redo it. We have no choice."

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He added:

"It wasn’t an eye poke. It was a double eye poke. It wasn’t one finger went knuckle deep. Two fingers. Slow it down. Both of them go knuckle deep. And in that regard, I don’t love the idea of unintentional. I do believe that’s the rule, and I believe the rule was properly followed. I’m not giving Jason Herzog a hard time, but I’m opening the door to it, particularly for the future. We’ve got two constants as far as the rules go from 1993 till now. Don’t bite the guy. Don’t poke the son of a bi*ch in his eyes. Those are the two rules. So when one of them is violated, it’s very frustrating when somebody can go out and grab the fabric, grab the shorts, and a warning happens."

Check out Chael Sonnen's comments below (5:15):

Chael Sonnen admits frustration over UFC 321 but agrees Tom Aspinall made the right call

Chael Sonnen has softened his stance on the UFC 321 main event controversy. The former UFC fighter said his anger after Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane may have been misdirected.

Sonnen said the double foul made a no-contest feel unsatisfying yet unavoidable. He acknowledged Aspinall made the smart choice by prioritizing his vision and health while leaving Abu Dhabi with his title still intact. Speaking in a recent episode of ESPN MMA's Good Guy/ Bad Guy, he said:

"I think if we're being fair, that fight was a lot harder than people thought it was going to be, and there was an opportunity to regroup with yourself and try again. All of the things happened, and I don't apologize for saying any of them. Just to be really clear... I do think that was the right decision, I do think that was the smart decision. Tom's got one thing to do, which is to leave that arena with the title that he brought into that arena."