Tom Aspinall Rejects Ciryl Gane’s Challenge After UFC 295 Victory
By [Author Name]
November 13, 2023
In a surprising turn of events, Tom Aspinall shut down Ciryl Gane’s callout after his impressive victory at UFC 295. Aspinall, who knocked out Sergei Pavlovich in the first round, became the interim heavyweight champion in Saturday’s co-headliner at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Before facing Pavlovich, Aspinall flew to Paris to watch Gane’s fight against Sergei Spivac. Aspinall had hoped to challenge Gane next, but the French fighter was solely focused on climbing up the rankings. However, now that Aspinall holds the interim title, Gane has expressed interest in the fight.
“Congratulations, Tom. You are now the champion and become the one being pursued, and I am the hunter. See you soon,” Gane tweeted after Aspinall’s victory.
But Aspinall had other plans. He suggested that Gane should fight Jailton Almeida instead, flipping the tables on his potential opponent. “That’s interesting after I just called him out, went to France, and he turned the fight down,” Aspinall told reporters at the UFC 295 post-event news conference. “I think he should fight Almeida. I think them guys should fight each other first and see what happens there.”
Almeida, who remains unbeaten in the octagon, agrees with Aspinall’s proposal. After dominating Derrick Lewis in the UFC Fight Night 231 headliner, the Brazilian fighter called out Gane. Almeida doubled down on his callout, stating, “I have bad news for you, my friend. You will have to face me before!”
In response, Gane expressed his willingness to take on Almeida, saying, “The champ already said Bon Gamin. The time is now. Me and you. Almeida vs Gane, and the winner goes to the title! Let’s do it! Can be in France, can be in Brazil, can be in Saudi Arabia, can be UFC 300, anyplace, anytime.”
While Aspinall hopes to land his dream fight against UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones, it is expected that Jones will have his title fight with Stipe Miocic rebooked once he returns from injury.
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