"I was disappointed" - Ciryl Gane gets brutally honest about the wave of emotions after eye-poke spoiled UFC 321 main event

Ciryl Gane recently discussed the eye poke incident during his fight against Tom Aspinall, revealing the whirlwind of emotions he experienced afterward.

'Bon Gamin' faced Aspinall for the undisputed heavyweight championship at UFC 321 last weekend. Right from the start, both fighters exchanged quick strikes and combinations. However, just moments before the end of Round 1, an accidental eye poke by Gane halted the action.

After inspection, Aspinall was unable to see clearly, prompting the referee, Jason Herzog, to stop the fight and declare it a no-contest. In the post-fight press conference, Gane shared his thoughts on the unexpected turn of events:

"I was at first angry because I [didn't] want him to stop the fight. After [that], I was disappointed [and] sad, and after that apologetic for the people."

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When asked if he felt something specific during the eye poke moment, Gane responded:

"No, I didn't feel anything specific. I didn't do it on purpose. And I know what it is to have an eye poke because when I fought Derrick Lewis, I got an eye poke, and I was seeing two Derrick Lewis for a full round. So, I know how it is."

Check out Ciryl Gane's comments below (2:33):

Dana White discusses the possibility of Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane 2

Tom Aspinall faced Ciryl Gane in his first title defense for the UFC heavyweight championship. For Gane, this was his third chance to win the heavyweight title. The stakes were high for both fighters, and the bout concluded with a dramatic ending.

During the post-fight press conference of UFC 321, Dana White shared his thoughts on the possibility of an immediate rematch between Aspinall and Gane.

"Total pain in the a**, but yes [we’ll book the rematch]... I think that there probably will be a lot more interest in the rematch after they saw he had Tom bloodied up. Tom didn’t want to continue in the fight. The rematch is very interesting." [0:58 & 20:33 seconds in the video]

About the author

A budding sports management professional, Nilaav Gogoi covers MMA at Sportskeeda. His entry into sports journalism began with stints at Sportszion and First Sportz. Nilaav strives to understand the captivating stories surrounding MMA and its various technical aspects. He is dedicated to providing his audience with accurate and well-authored content while ensuring the information remains reliable.

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