UFC Veterans Defend Ciryl Gane Amid Eye-Poke Controversy, Reject Claims of Deliberate Cheating
UFC veterans have come to Ciryl Gane’s defense amid the eye-poke controversy, rejecting accusations that the French heavyweight deliberately cheated during the
The UFC heavyweight division has been in the headlines for a couple of years now. First came the allegations that Jon Jones was ducking fights, and now Ciryl Gane is being accused of cheating. The champion has changed, but the controversy around the throne hasn't. Gane became champion after Tom Aspinall had to vacate the title following the eye-poke injury at UFC 321. Now, with the allegations hanging over Gane, UFC veterans Dominick Cruz and TJ Dillashaw have come out in defense of the current champion.
Dominick Cruz and TJ Dillashaw Push Back Against Ciryl Gane Cheating Accusations
The eye poke isn't the only thing fueling the cheating talk. The controversy over strikes to the back of Alex Pereira's head at the UFC White House added more fuel. Cruz, though, doesn't buy it. He has always said that if someone can poke him in the eyes, he is the one doing something wrong.
Cruz stated, “I always said, if you can poke me in my fucking eyes, I’m doing something wrong. You can punch me in my head. Like, trying to hit my head is so fucking hard. If you could poke me in the eye, like, that’s my problem. So we agree on that. And I think that’s why he’s not a cheater.”
Dillashaw defended Gane too. In his view, everyone is a Pereira fan, so people wanted him to win and wanted to call every blow illegal. He said Gane wasn't going for those shots on purpose, and that Pereira was moving his head as the strikes landed. Dillashaw also felt for Herb Dean, who has caught a lot of flak. It's crazy to go to a fight and hear the whole arena boo the referee, he said, and he doesn't believe Gane is a purposeful cheater at all.
Alex Pereira Claims Ciryl Gane Was Running Out of Gas Before Herb Dean Stepped In
Recently, Pereira told Connect Cast that Gane had worn himself out and no longer had the power to knock him out by the time Dean stepped in. The fight was stopped while Pereira was still on his feet, he said, and he never went down. In his telling, Gane's reaction said it all. Pereira recalled him reacting as if he couldn't believe it and was thankful it was over, and he pointed to how heavily Gane was breathing.
Gane is set to make his first title defense against Josh Hokit at UFC 334. There is plenty of controversy and talk around his reign so far, but beating the undefeated Hokit would go a long way toward shutting it all down.
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