Ciryl Gane addressed concerns over his ground game heading into UFC 321.
Gane (13-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) challenges heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) in the Oct. 25 main event from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
With Gane coming off a very close decision win over Alexander Volkov at UFC 310 – a fight where he was taken down three times and controlled for over four minutes, the former interim champion was asked about what adjustments he’s made since.
“Sometimes life is a little bit strange because some bad results and then people think that you’ve never worked on your ground game, on your grappling,” Gane said during Friday’s UFC 321 pre-fight press conference in Paris. “But believe me, as someone who’s come from Thai boxing as well, I’ve got a team behind me.
“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.”
Aspinall has looked unstoppable since joining the UFC roster in 2020, finishing all but one of his wins in the first round. Gane thinks Aspinall is well aware that he brings different threats than the average heavyweight.
“I think Tom has the answer already,” Gane said. “He knows very well that I have a bit of a different style than the others in the division. We know I’m a guy who’s capable of finishing strong at the end of five rounds so, I think everyone already knows the answer.”
It will be almost a year since Gane has last fought when he makes the walk against Aspinall, however, the French star says he’s been laser focused for the past six months.
“As you know, my last fight was back in December, then during the months of January and February, I was resting a little bit,” Gane said. “I had a bit of time away through an injury, recovering from that. But since March I’ve really been training, giving it my all. I’ve not been playing PlayStation or going to the Champions League or watching other events like some of the others. I’ve been really training so, I’m concentrated, I think everyone’s been able to see that. It’s been probably one of the best camps in my career, and obviously I’m ready to get the job done this time around.”
