UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall disagrees with fans and media members who are downplaying Ciryl Gane's abilities ahead of UFC 321.
On Saturday night, Tom Aspinall will defend his heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi. While many believe that the Englishman is the obvious favorite to leave with the championship wrapped around his waist, others think that Gane serves as a pretty interesting underdog in this fight.
Either way, it's a fight that has been brewing for quite some time now with both guys long since being viewed as the next generation of heavyweight stars. If Gane wins, a rematch seems likely down the line - but even if he doesn't, this first fight is bound to answer a lot of questions about where both guys are at in their respective careers.
In a recent interview, Tom Aspinall made it clear that those who don't believe Ciryl Gane deserves to be here are wrong.
Tom Aspinall praises Ciryl Gane
"I think there's this notion with the media and maybe the fans that Ciryl is not very good, which is just complete bullsh*t," Aspinall told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday's media day. "I think that he's really, really good. He's super talented, he's been at the top of the division for a number of years, which is not easy to do.
"He's been an interim champion himself. He's obviously had two title shots for the undisputed title, as well, so I think the guy is really good. I've took him extremely, extremely seriously. The fact that people expect it to be an easy fight, I don't read into that at all. I'm prepared for a really hard fight."
Quotes via MMA Junkie