UFC 321: Tom Aspinall fires warning to Ciryl Gane ahead of heavyweight title showdown – ‘I can knock anybody out’

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During a lively UFC 321 press conference in Paris, Tom Aspinall insisted he is more than capable of knocking Ciryl Gane out to defend his heavyweight crown. The pair are set to go toe-to-toe in October in Abu Dhabi as the heavyweight division enters a new era following the retirement of Jon Jones. Gane has shown weaknesses on the ground in the past, but is eager to silence his doubters.

‘I can knock anybody out, Ciryl is no exception’ – The best bits from Aspinall v Gane presser

Video credit: TNT Sports

Tom Aspinall cut a confident figure ahead of his highly anticipated UFC heavyweight title defence against Ciryl Gane in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, October 25, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

The Briton has been out of action since he beat Curtis Blaydes in July 2024 for the interim heavyweight belt as he chased a blockbuster showdown with Jon Jones that never materialised.

After Jones announced his retirement, Aspinall became the undisputed champion and is now set for his first defence against Gane at UFC 321.

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It promises to be an intriguing match-up, with many expecting Aspinall to exploit apparent weaknesses in Gane’s ground game.

However, the 32-year-old has become renowned for his prowess on his feet, scoring knockout wins early in the first round of each of his last three fights.

His dynamism is that of a much lighter fighter, and he is more than prepared to rely on his stand-up game if that is the way the fight goes.

"I think if I hit anybody, I can knock anybody out," Aspinall said during a press conference for UFC 321. "And I think that Ciryl is no exception. Obviously, there are some weaknesses in his ground game that we've seen, but I'm sure he's improved.

"This is an MMA fight. It can go anywhere, so I'm sure we'll both be ready for anything."

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This is a clash that has been long in the making. Despite seeming like they have been on a collision course since entering the promotion, it has taken until now for it to finally happen.

Both men represent a new breed of heavyweight. Not only do they carry immense power, but they both move with impressive fluidity, and Aspinall believes the fight will be all the better for not happening when it could have in the years prior.

"I think the biggest difference is we’re both better," he continued. "We're both better now than we were a few years ago. We both have a lot more experience.

"You know, Ciryl has had two title shots already. I defended the interim title and now hold the undisputed title.

"So I think this fight is going to be better, and I think it's pretty rare that you see any guys of our size that move like we do.

"I think this is really like the new age of the heavyweights, and people are really going to start to see the difference now between guys like us and guys 10 years ago."

Gane keen to silence critics

Concerns about his ground game were also put to Gane during a lively press conference in Paris. The Frenchman’s two title-fight losses were to Francis Ngannou and Jones, both of whom used their superiority in this area to devastating effect.

He was, however, quick to leap to his own defence, insisting he and his team "know exactly what we’re doing".

Gane said: "Sometimes life is a little bit strange because of some bad results, and then people think that you've never worked on your ground game, on your grappling. But believe me, as someone who's come from Thai boxing as well, I've got a team behind me, by my coach, Fernand Lopez, we've worked on our ground game.

"These are experts. We know exactly what we're doing. Sometimes I've not been able to show it, and that's on me, but this time, believe me, I've been working, and hopefully I can show it this time around."

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One thing that could be a factor is Gane’s experience of going the distance in the UFC. On three occasions, the Frenchman has heard the bell at the end of the fifth round.

By contrast, Aspinall has only once entered the second round during his UFC career.

So, could that work in the challenger’s favour?

"I think Tom has the answer already," Gane said. "He knows I'm a little bit of a different fighter in the division, but I fight in a different way. But I'm sure that Tom will be able to come up with an answer if he's thrown into it [deep water].

"We'll just have to see when the fight happens."

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