Ciryl Gane Rejects Foul Criticism Before UFC 334: 'I'm Not Here to Convince Anyone'

Ciryl Gane has heard the cheating accusations. Four days before his first defense of the UFC heavyweight title, he said he is finished trying to talk people out of them.

Gane faces unbeaten challenger Josh Hokit at UFC 334 on Saturday at Madison Square Garden. In a November 10 interview with RMC Sport Combat, translated by MMA Fighting, the champion denied deliberately bending the rules and laughed at the idea that eye-gouging is something he practices in the gym.

"I'm not here to try and convince anyone," Gane said. "I train hard. I control what I can control: my training, my fights, and so on."

Why the criticism has followed Gane

Gane's October 2025 fight with then-champion Tom Aspinall ended as a no contest after eye pokes left Aspinall unable to continue. Aspinall's eye problems lingered. Gane later stopped Alex Pereira to win the interim belt, then the UFC elevated him to undisputed champion after Aspinall suffered another setback and vacated the title.

Pereira and members of his team also accused Gane of landing illegal blows to the back of the head in their interim-title fight. Those complaints did not change the official result. They did, however, give Gane's critics a second disputed fight to point to. The complaints remain allegations, not an official finding that Gane fouled intentionally.

The eye injury to Aspinall was real regardless of intent. Proving that Gane meant to cause it is a different matter. Gane's position is that his conduct in the gym and his respect for opponents say more about him than a label repeated online.

Hokit's talk is not getting through

Hokit has leaned into the controversy during fight week, which suits the loud persona that helped speed his rise through the heavyweight division. Gane said the challenger uses trash talk to unsettle opponents, but he does not expect it to work on him. He works with a mental coach and admitted that some of Hokit's material makes him laugh when it does not cross into personal insults.

The experience gap is enormous. According to the UFC's official preview, Gane is 11-2 with one no contest in the Octagon and has twice held interim gold. Hokit is 10-0 and will fight for the championship only 53 weeks after his UFC debut, following wins over Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis.

Gane would rather prepare for that pace and wrestling than spend the week relitigating old fights. Fair enough. But Saturday can still change the tone around him. A title defense without controversy would put the attention back on his performance. Another eye poke or disputed sequence would leave him answering the same questions again.