The 'Bad Reflex' Ciryl Gane Blames For Eye Pokes And Why Fans Are STILL Calling Him a Cheater Before UFC Freedom 250

Whoa, hold up! UFC Freedom 250 is just around the corner, happening right there at the White House, and Ciryl Gane, man, he is stepping into the Octagon with a storm brewing around him. This isn't just another title shot; it's a fight for his reputation. He's squaring off against Alex Pereira for an interim heavyweight title, which would be his fifth shot at some form of UFC heavyweight gold. But everyone, and I mean *everyone*, is talking about whether Gane is a dirty fighter. He’s out here saying, "I know that I'm not a cheater," but after what happened last time, are we really buying it?

The Ugly Truth About Aspinall's Eye Pokes

Let's rewind. The last time Gane was in the cage, it was against Tom Aspinall for the heavyweight title, and that fight ended in a no-contest. Why? Because Aspinall suffered brutal eye pokes that sidelined him indefinitely. For real, indefinite! And get this, it wasn't some minor thing. It turned out Aspinall needed multiple surgeries just to fix his vision. Multiple surgeries! You can bet the fans, me included, soured on Gane real fast after that news dropped. You hit up social media or any fight forum, and you will find compilation videos of all the illegal strikes he's thrown. We're talking eye pokes, groin kicks, strikes behind the head, the whole nine yards. It’s hard to ignore that kind of rap sheet when someone’s going for a title, right?

Gane's Defense: "Bad Reflex" or Bad Intentions?

But Gane, bless his heart, is pushing back HARD on this "dirty fighter" label. He’s trying to chalk it up to the chaos of mixed martial arts, where everything happens in fractions of a second. He told reporters, "No, unfortunately, at every event, every week, something happens. Even if it's in a bad way, let people talk about me. Whatever, I know that I'm not a cheater." He claims those clean inside leg kicks can suddenly become groin shots if an opponent changes levels mid-strike. And for the eye pokes? He actually pointed to Aspinall’s own teammate, Ante Delija, who apparently pulled a similar move just one week after UFC 321. Gane says, "Unfortunately, when you land something, sometimes the opponent changes levels, and your strike strays off target. With the eyes, unfortunately, one week after our fight, you saw Tom Aspinall's training partner do exactly the same thing. Every weekend, you see this. Unfortunately, we have small gloves." He even showed the camera how he holds his hand, palm facing out with fingers extended to the sky, insisting, "I've always been careful. My hand was like that. Unfortunately, when you want to keep the guy away from you, and you have only his face, sometimes there's a bad reflex." Small gloves or not, extended fingers are still illegal, and referees are cracking down way harder on eye pokes these days. So is it truly just a "bad reflex" when Aspinall needs multiple surgeries?

Ciryl Gane has a massive opportunity against Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250 to not only win an interim heavyweight title but to finally put this "dirty fighter" narrative to bed. Will he fight clean, or will fans still be wondering about those "bad reflexes" by the final buzzer?

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.