Ciryl Gane isn’t losing sleep over his critics.
Gane makes the first defense of his heavyweight title against Josh Hokit at UFC 334 on Saturday. His reign has been dogged by fouling controversy. His eye pokes ended his UFC 321 fight with Tom Aspinall, and Alex Pereira has blasted him for back-of-the-head strikes in their interim title fight.
Speaking to RMC Sport Combat, Gane said the criticism comes from people who can’t accept his success.
I think it’s a kind of frustration, or in any case, a struggle with acceptance that’s hard to deal with. ‘Yeah, the good kid seems nice; he’s cool and all that. Go ahead, he’s not a warrior. How is it that he’s beating us when we’re the real warriors?'
Maybe it’s like, ‘I won’t leave it like this. I’m going to drag his name through the mud.’ Because honestly, when I look in the mirror or when you see the training at the gym, you don’t see strategies like eye-gouging.
I’m not here to try and convince anyone. I train hard. I control what I can control: my training, my fights, and so on. The rest, I try never to raise my voice or say anything out of line. I really try to respect all of my opponents from start to finish. And actually, by beating them, I’m respecting them.
Gane also isn’t worried about Hokit’s trash talk.
He does it to destabilize certain fighters who are susceptible to being destabilized. I don’t think I am. I work a lot with my mental coach to make sure I’m not. And in reality, he also makes me laugh a little when he doesn’t cross the line or insult too much. He has moments that are quite funny.
Here’s how to watch UFC 334.
