Ciryl Gane wants a rematch. He is not fussy about which one.
The interim heavyweight champion is still chasing undisputed status after three failed attempts against Francis Ngannou, Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall. He won the interim belt by knocking out Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250 on the White House lawn in June.
A unification fight was supposed to follow. Aspinall said in the summer he was cleared, but Eddie Hearn has since told Bloody Elbow that the champion needs further testing over lingering concerns about his eyes. Gane addressed the uncertainty with RMC Sport.
We’re not sure. We don’t know if there is a rematch against Tom Aspinall. We want it. The UFC talks about it with Fernand, so we focus on Tom Aspinall.
He has a fallback in mind.
If tomorrow it will be someone else, it’s okay. What I would like is either Tom Aspinall or a rematch against Alex Pereira.
Both fights have unfinished business attached. Gane and Aspinall met at UFC 321 last October in a bout ruled a no contest after four and a half minutes, when eye pokes left Aspinall unable to continue. Pereira accused Gane of hitting him with punches to the back of the head during the finishing sequence in June, which referee Herb Dean did not call.
Pereira may not be available either. Ariel Helwani has reported that a fight between Pereira and Josh Hokit is under discussion.
