UFC heavyweight shares honest preview of potential Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane clash: "He's really good with his movement"

Tom Aspinall's potential clash against Ciryl Gane might be the most exciting title fight in the heavyweight division in recent years.

No.2-ranked heavyweight contender Alexander Volkov, who has shared the cage with both fighters, recently previewed a potential clash in an interview with MMA Junkie. He said that while Aspinall looks like the better all-around fighter, Gane’s movement and experience make it a coin toss:

"[The fight is] 50-50, I think. Both of them are good, and Ciryl Gane, he's really good with his movement, with his legs and everything. He's not so bad at grappling now. He started working a lot on his grappling and his ground skills, so I think it's 50-50."

He added:

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"It depends [on] how the fight starts, how both of them will be prepared for this fight. I saw that Gane will be motivated a lot for this fight to get the belt. It's 50-50, but on paper, when I fought both of them, Tom Aspinall looks better. But in the fight, it could go any way."

Check out Alexander Volkov's comments below (12:00):

Aspinall submitted Volkov in the first round by an armbar back in 2022. Meanwhile, Gane is 2-0 against the Russian, the most recent being a split-decision win in a close, calculated battle late last year at UFC 310.

Tom Aspinall claims Ciryl Gane turned him down early in his UFC career

Tom Aspinall said he tried to book a fight with Ciryl Gane early in their UFC runs, but Gane declined the matchup. Both men were rising contenders at the time, with Gane slightly ahead in the rankings.

Aspinall admitted the timing never aligned and believed Gane avoided the fight to protect his position. In a recent episode of One On One | MMA, Aspinall said:

"So me and Ciryl... We’re both European. We’ve been supposed to fight a couple of times before... When I was in, it was always like I was trying to fight him because he was just a little bit above me all the time. Fight never materialized. He turned me down a couple of times, to be honest. I don’t think he wanted to fight down the rankings. I get it. I’m a bad fight for everybody.”

Check out Tom Aspinall's comments below (14:18):

About the author

Abhishek Ramadasan Nambiar is a journalist who covers MMA at Sportskeeda. As a long-time practitioner of various martial arts, seeing the fusion of different forms into a quest for the ultimate fighter felt both primal and profoundly technical. At Sportskeeda, Abhishek's primary goal is to offer a fresh and distinctive angle through his writing, aiming to provide readers with more than just the basics of MMA. Along with keeping them informed about the latest developments in the sport, he strives to offer valuable insights that enhance their understanding of MMA.

When not writing about MMA, Abhishek often spends time reviewing music or devouring Brian Evanson's and Blake Crouch's work. Sign up to receive news, regular updates, and exclusive coverage.

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Edited by Abhishek Nambiar