Tom Aspinall bets against Alex Poatan . Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @tomaspinallofficial
Tom Aspinall still has no return date to competition since injuring his eyes in the fight against Ciryl Gane in October 2025. However, the Englishman remains sharp-tongued and keeps an eye on potential rivals. The UFC heavyweight champion (up to 120,3 kg) analyzed the interim title fight between Alex Poatan and Ciryl Gane next month and placed his bets on the Brazilian's opponent.
In a recent appearance on the "Fight Your Corner" podcast, the undisputed champion of the division highlighted Gane's style as a key factor in neutralizing the Brazilian's knockout power.
According to Aspinall, Poatan tends to have more success against opponents who remain more planted during the fight, something that, in the Englishman's view, would not happen against the former interim champion from France.
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“Alex (Poatan) Pereira did very well when fighting light heavyweights (up to 93 kg) or middleweights (up to 83,9 kg) who don't move around much. Ciryl Gane is a huge heavyweight who moves around a lot, he's very natural in his footwork, he moves in and out of range, he calculates distance very well. So, in terms of style, I think it's a good fight for Gane,” Aspinall stated.
Even while acknowledging the Brazilian's offensive power, Aspinall believes the Frenchman's tactical intelligence would make the difference over the five rounds. "For the champion, Gane's volume of movement and distance control would be enough to prevent Poatan from landing the decisive strikes on his feet," stated Tom, before predicting how he expects the fight to end at UFC Casa Branca.
"It's difficult to predict. But I would say Gane wins on points. I think he'll move around a lot and win on points," concluded Tom Aspinall.
Last fights
Current UFC heavyweight champion Aspinall knows Ciryl Gane well . They fought last October in Abu Dhabi at UFC 321, an event marked by Gane's accidental eye poke that prevented Aspinall from continuing in the main event.
Meanwhile, Poatan remains one of the biggest names in the organization and his name is constantly linked to potential super fights. The middleweight and light heavyweight champion, Poatan is coming off a victory against his rival, Russian Magomed Ankalaev, at UFC 320 in October 2025.
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