Gane accepts blame for UFC 320 eye poke that ended Aspinall fight in no contest

Ciryl Gane has admitted full responsibility for the accidental eye poke that brought his heavyweight title challenge against Tom Aspinall to an abrupt and inconclusive end at UFC 320 last October, declaring his intention to win an interim belt before pursuing undisputed glory.

The fight was declared a no contest in the first round after Gane simultaneously poked Aspinall in both eyes, leaving the British champion unable to continue even after taking four of the five allotted recovery minutes. Some observers had suggested Gane was edging the early exchanges before the incident ended proceedings.

Speaking on a UFC Countdown video, Gane explained the sequence of events that led to the foul. “Unfortunately, I did a mistake during this middle kick. And he tried to go forward. So, my hand was there; I tried to push him. And the first thing I pushed was his head. Unfortunately, I touched his eyes,” he said. “It was a mistake; it was my mistake.”

Gane described how a mistimed kick to the midsection prompted Aspinall to surge forward, and his instinctive reaction — extending a hand to create distance — resulted in the contact that ended the night.

With Aspinall still sidelined as he recovers from the eye injury, Gane has been booked to face former light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira for an interim UFC heavyweight title in the co-main event of the UFC White House card on June 14. A win would set up a unification bout against Aspinall once the champion is cleared to compete.

Gane made clear he views the Pereira fight as a stepping stone rather than a destination. “I’m on a mission to win the undisputed belt. I’m gonna win this fight against Pereira. And I’m gonna go have my revenge against Tom Aspinall and [claim] my undisputed title,” he said.