Chris Weidman outlines why Ciryl Gane will beat Tom Aspinall in their UFC heavyweight title rematch

Ciryl Gane has received words of high praise from retired MMA great Chris Weidman, who was recently inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. 

Weidman asserted that he favors Gane to beat reigning UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall in their highly anticipated rematch and become the new undisputed UFC heavyweight champion. 

As of this time, the UFC hasn't officially announced a date for the Aspinall-Gane rematch, but it's expected to be booked sooner rather than later. 

Ciryl Gane made waves with his incredible win over MMA megastar Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250

Ciryl Gane became a two-time interim UFC heavyweight titlist on June 14, defeating combat sports icon Alex Pereira in the co-headlining match of UFC Freedom 250 at the White House in Washington. 

While the performance did have its fair share of controversy, courtesy of a few apparently illegal strikes by the Frenchman to the back of Pereira's head, he received praise for his speed and striking skills nonetheless. 

The victory earned Gane the interim UFC heavyweight belt and an opportunity to face Tom Aspinall in a heavyweight championship unification matchup, likely to transpire later this year. 

It won't be the first time "Bon Gamin" fights Aspinall. Gane previously faced him for the undisputed UFC heavyweight belt last October, but their fight was marred by his eye pokes that prevented his British opponent from continuing and resulted in an NC (No Contest). 

Aspinall had been on an eye-injury-induced hiatus from the octagon for months before recently announcing that he's been cleared to compete and is waiting for the UFC to book his title unifier fight against Gane. 

Chris Weidman breaks down why Ciryl Gane could defeat Tom Aspinall in their UFC heavyweight championship rematch

In his latest appearance on The Bohnfire podcast hosted by MMA Junkie's Mike Bohn, Chris Weidman chimed in on various topics. Weidman emphasized that Ciryl Gane significantly improved his standing in the UFC with his spectacular victory against Alex Pereira. 

Weidman stated, "I think (Ciryl) Gane, before that fight at the White House with (Alex) Pereira, I wouldn't -- I'm not buying it. But now, with him going out there and getting the win over Pereira like that, because Pereira is such a big star, it elevated Gane's name." 

Moreover, "The All-American" indicated that many have gotten to know who Gane is and have realized how good he is. He also pointed out that Gane's first encounter against Tom Aspinall, for as long as it lasted, could be a precursor to how exciting their rematch could be. 

Weidman alluded that Aspinall is yet to prove his mettle in fights that go longer than the one-round or two-round mark. He said, "I would favor Ciryl Gane at this point only because he's had fights that have gone longer before." 

The ex-UFC middleweight kingpin asserted that, given the manner in which their first fight was going, it seemed as though Aspinall was unlikely to get a first-round finish against Gane. 

As such, Weidman also cited that Gane was able to decisively nullify and beat former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira in the latter's heavyweight debut at the UFC White House event. 

He suggested that Pereira gets better as the fight progresses, and Gane still beat him, whereas it's still unknown as to whether Aspinall could maintain his performance levels in the latter rounds of a fight. 

Weidman said, "He (Ciryl Gane) was able to beat him (Alex Pereira) and deal with the pressure. I don't think Aspinall brings the type of consistent pressure like Pereira does. So I would go Ciryl Gane." 

Watch Chris Weidman discuss the Ciryl Gane vs. Tom Aspinall rematch below (*comments at the 50:30-minute mark of the video):