As the countdown to UFC 321 continues, Ciryl Gane believes he’s found the perfect approach to dethrone the heavyweight king.
Speaking at this week’s media event in Abu Dhabi, Gane said he’s ready to extend the bout — a contrast to Aspinall’s pattern of lightning-fast finishes.
“Everybody knows my strength,” Gane said. “Everybody knows his strengths also. I can do very well to manage my distance and go to the second round, but even in a different way, if I want, I can go very fast in the very first round. Maybe go to the deep waters with Tom Aspinall.”
Gane, who has gone the distance in five of his twelve UFC bouts, believes his conditioning and patience could be the key difference when they meet this Saturday.
Aspinall Fires Back: “Everyone Who Says That Gets Knocked Out”
When reporters brought Gane’s “deep waters” comment to Tom Aspinall, the British champion couldn’t help but laugh.
“Did he actually use the word deep waters?” Aspinall said, smiling. “Everybody who said the word ‘deep waters’ gets knocked out in the first minute. Go back and check the media that you’ve done. So I’m pretty happy with that, that’s good.”
And he might have a point.
“Everybody who said the word ‘deep waters’ gets knocked out in the first minute. Go back and check.”
Tom Aspinall says Ciryl Gane has already sealed his fate before #UFC321 😳 pic.twitter.com/sSqqYPTOtA
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) October 22, 2025
None of Aspinall’s last three opponents have survived beyond 90 seconds. Across his eight UFC victories, only veteran Andrei Arlovski managed to see the second round — and he was quickly finished moments later.
Aspinall’s ferocious pace has made him one of the most dangerous heavyweights in the modern era, while Gane’s technical style often relies on outlasting and outsmarting his opponents.
Aspinall’s First Title Defense
This weekend marks Aspinall’s first official defense of the undisputed UFC heavyweight title since being upgraded following Jon Jones’ retirement in June.
Before that, the British fighter held the interim title, defeating Curtis Blaydes in just 60 seconds during their rematch last year.
Despite his reputation as a finisher, Aspinall playfully teased a very different plan for this fight.
“I think everybody’s seen me go in there and get quick finishes,” Aspinall said. “I’ve got one of the best heavyweight teams in the world if not the best heavyweight team, some of the best minds in the game, some of the best training partners in the game. We’ve shown how dangerous I am, and we’re going to switch it up this time and go out there and win a boring split decision.”
The champion even joked about dragging the bout to its slowest possible pace.
“As I just said, we’re going for a five-round split decision, close fight, win,” he laughed. “Just jabs. Just jabbing your way to a win. Crowd will be booing after a couple of minutes and just maintain that slow pace for five rounds. That’s what we’re going for.”
UFC 321 takes place this Saturday in Abu Dhabi, featuring one of the most stylistically intriguing heavyweight title fights in recent memory. Aspinall’s explosive power meets Gane’s movement-based precision — a classic matchup of speed versus control.
With both men confident in their strategies, the real question remains: Can Ciryl Gane truly “take him to deep waters,” or will Tom Aspinall make another opponent sink in record time?
