Tom Aspinall rematch will be tough for Ciryl Gane, says UFC Hall of Famer

Ciryl Gane looked sharp for as long as his bout with Tom Aspinall lasted, but could the rematch be even tougher for “Bon Gamin?”

Gane challenged Aspinall for the UFC Heavyweight Championship this past Saturday. The UFC 321 main event saw Gane have early success, as he wasn’t concerned about the champion’s punching power. Things came crashing down when Gane landed an accidental double eye poke, leading to a no-contest ruling.

During an edition of ESPN’s “Good Guy/Bad Guy,” Daniel Cormier said he thinks Gane will have a tougher time finding success against Aspinall in a rematch (via MMAJunkie).

“The rematch got a lot harder for Ciryl Gane, regardless of if Tom respected him this time,” Cormier said on his “Good Guy/Bad Guy” podcast with Chael Sonnen on ESPN. “Because now, Tom Aspinall is going to know what Ciryl Gane can do and has felt him.”

Cormier also defended Aspinall for telling the doctor that he couldn’t see out of his left eye.

“Live to fight another day. If you can’t see and you’re the reigning, defending champion. If you don’t see, then don’t fight. You’ve got too much to lose. We always try to measure the smart decision vs. the honorable decision. I thought Anthony Smith was very honorable when Jon Jones kneed him when he was on the ground. I also thought Anthony Smith was dumb. He should’ve took the win, went home as the champion then came back and collected some pay-per-view points in the rematch. That’s just me. Honorable vs. Smart, I think Tom Aspinall just made the smart decision and that ultimately upset a lot of people.”

UFC CEO Dana White has already confirmed that the plan is to book the rematch between Aspinall and Gane as soon as possible. Aspinall was able to avoid permanent damage to his eye, so it may just be a matter of how soon the eye can fully heal.