Tom Aspinall aims to "get rid of Ciryl Gane from the title picture for good" at UFC 321, previews heavyweight championship fight

Tom Aspinall recently shared his thoughts on his upcoming fight against Ciryl Gane and made it clear he intends to remove the Frenchman from the heavyweight title picture once and for all.

Aspinall was promoted from interim to undisputed UFC heavyweight champion after Jon Jones retired last month. He's now set to defend the title against Gane at UFC 321 in October in Abu Dhabi.

Gane has fought for the undisputed heavyweight title twice in the past, losing to Francis Ngannou via unanimous decision in his first attempt at UFC 270 in January 2022 and getting submitted in the first round by Jon Jones in his second effort at UFC 285 in March 2023.

Aspinall plans to make Gane's third try his last ever in the promotion. In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, the Englishman said:

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"This is the fourth time that we've been matched up together. Me and Ciryl got into the UFC around about the same time... Now we are matched up, on the 25th of October, Abu Dhabi. Me and Ciryl, the fourth attempt is here, and this is Ciryl's third title shot. So, we are going to try and get rid of Ciryl Gane from the title picture for good."

He continued:

"We both have a niche style for heavyweights. We don't fight like heavyweights, both of us. So, this could be the fastest, the best-moving heavyweight fight that anybody's ever seen. We're both great movers, we're both light on our feet, we're both elusive, so, this is going to be great." [H/t: MMA Junkie]

Watch the full video below:

Tom Aspinall dismisses narrative that Jon Jones stole his "prime"

Tom Aspinall isn't worried about his "prime" slipping away while waiting for Jon Jones to accept a fight against him.

After winning the interim UFC heavyweight title against Sergei Pavlovich in November 2023, Aspinall made it clear that he wanted to unify it against Jones. However, 'Bones' never appeared interested in fighting Aspinall, forcing the Englishman to defend the interim belt against Curtis Blyades in July 2024.

While an Aspinall-Jones fight was seemingly in the works after months of the Englishman calling the American out, 'Bones' suddenly confirmed his retirement last month. Aspinall was then promoted to undisputed champion.

Given his relative inactivity over the past two years, many wondered whether Aspinall's prime slipped by him while waiting for Jones. Dismissing the narrative in an interview, Aspinall said:

"It's not all been bad, because to be honest, I don't feel like I'm in my prime yet. I still feel like I've still got some work to do before I get there, and I'm getting older and developing more as a fighter and as a person. So, still feel like I will prime at mid-30s to be honest. I'm still just 32."

Catch Tom Aspinall's comments below (2:55):

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Edited by Nishant Zende.