Ciryl Gane Answers the Critics Who Call Him a Dirty Fighter as Hokit Trains for Eye Pokes

Ciryl Gane walks into Madison Square Garden this week as the heavyweight champion of the world, and he wants everyone to know he is not carrying around anyone else's label. With his title defense against unbeaten Josh Hokit set for Saturday night at UFC 334, the Frenchman has pushed back against critics who call him a cheater, Boxing News reported, citing MMA Mania and an interview Gane gave to the French outlet RMC.

Gane said he is not bothered by the accusations, insisted the fouls in his recent fights were accidental, and pointed to referees and top fighters who have come to his defense, according to the report. He also said officials have told him there is nothing unusual about how he conducts himself in the cage. "I'm confident in who I am when I look in a mirror," Gane said, per the report. CBS Sports reported that he has said he is comfortable, is not focused on social media, and believes more fellow fighters are coming to his side.

The criticism traces back to two of the biggest nights of Gane's career. His fight with Tom Aspinall ended in a no-contest after a double eye poke left Aspinall with serious injuries that required multiple surgeries, Boxing News reported. CBS Sports noted that those injuries eventually led Aspinall to give up the title, and that Gane, who had won the interim belt, was elevated to full champion in September. CBS also observed that Gane did not become undisputed champion in the traditional way, which is part of why some still question his reign.

The interim title came in June at UFC Freedom 250 on the White House grounds, where Gane stopped Alex Pereira in the second round, according to CBS Sports. Pereira has since claimed he was hit repeatedly behind the head, Boxing News and CBS Sports reported. Referee Herb Dean ruled the strikes legal, CBS reported, explaining that blows to the back of the head are illegal under the unified rules only when they land on the nape of the neck.

Gane has allies. Former champions Dominick Cruz and T.J. Dillashaw have both backed him, arguing that his infractions were unintentional, according to Boxing News.

Others are not persuaded. CBS Sports reported that UFC veteran Dustin Poirier, who now works as an analyst, has called Gane's conduct dirty and illegal while acknowledging that fights are chaotic and accidents happen. The outlet also said several of Gane's past opponents, including Tai Tuivasa, Alexander Volkov, Serghei Spivac and Jon Jones, have complained publicly about his conduct over the years.

If the champion is tired of the subject, the challenger is leaning into it. Hokit posted video of himself training blindfolded to prepare for a possible eye poke, Boxing News reported.

Hokit brings a perfect 10-0 record into the biggest fight of his life, according to CBS Sports. He has drawn plenty of attention for his personality outside the cage, and CBS recalled that he was removed from the UFC Freedom 250 press conference back in May. Gane, 36, is 14-2 with one no-contest and heads into his first heavyweight title defense, CBS reported.

The heavyweight title fight tops a stacked card. In the co-main event, bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison, who won the belt by submitting Julianna Peña at UFC 316, defends against Amanda Nunes, the two-division great who has not fought since she stopped Irene Aldana in June 2023, Yardbarker reported.

The rest of the main card, according to the UFC's official event page, features middleweights Caio Borralho and Yousri Belgaroui, welterweights Uroš Medić and Kevin Holland, and flyweights Bilal Hasan and Luis Gurule. The UFC lists the early prelims at 5 p.m. Eastern, the prelims at 7 p.m. and the main card at 9 p.m. on Saturday. Ceremonial weigh-ins are scheduled for Friday at the Garden.

Trash talk usually fades the second the cage door shuts. This one is different, because the question hanging over the main event is not about who is tougher. It is about the rules.

Here is what is fair to say. Eye pokes are a sport-wide problem, not a one-man problem, and an outstretched open hand can do real damage in an instant. By Gane's account, officials have told him nothing about his conduct is out of the ordinary, and respected former champions have stood up for him. At the same time, Aspinall's injuries were serious, and fans who saw two big fights end under a cloud are entitled to ask questions.

The best answer a champion can give is a clean, decisive performance. Keep the hands closed, fight with honor, and let the result speak for itself. Treating your opponent the way you would want to be treated is a good rule in life, and it is a good rule in a cage, too.

If Gane does that on Saturday, the label starts to fade. If Hokit pulls the upset, an unbeaten challenger will have taken the belt and the argument with it. Either way, the Garden is in for a heavyweight night that matters.