Dominick Cruz, the former two-time UFC bantamweight champion, is not holding back, throwing a huge defense for undisputed UFC heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane against serious cheating accusations. This isn’t just about Gane’s reputation; it’s about a core understanding of how fouls happen in the octagon, according to Cruz.
Cruz Drops A Truth Bomb On Eye Pokes
Gane, with a 14-2 MMA record and 11-2 UFC, has been under fire after inadvertently poking Tom Aspinall in the eyes during their UFC 321 title fight last October. Aspinall ended up needing multiple eye surgeries and had to vacate his belt because he wasn’t cleared to compete, which is how Gane was promoted to undisputed champion status. It was a brutal outcome for Aspinall, no doubt. But Cruz, talking on his “Love & War” podcast with fellow former UFC champ T.J. Dillashaw, said the blame for eye pokes isn’t on the guy extending his fingers.
“This is my take on Ciryl Gane poking eyes: I haven’t had a lot of eye pokes in my career. I haven’t had a lot of groin shots in my career,” Cruz stated. “I always said if you can poke me in my f*cking eyes, I’m doing something wrong. You can punch me in my head. Trying to hit my head is so f*cking hard. If you could poke me in the eye, that’s my problem. So we (Dillashaw) agree on that, and I think that’s why he’s not a cheater.”
Talk about a mic drop, right? Cruz is saying if your opponent can get a poke in, maybe you, the fighter, need to adjust your defense.
Dillashaw Backs Gane on Pereira Debacle, Too
It doesn’t stop with Aspinall. Gane also caught a ton of heat for his TKO victory over Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250. Pereira, still fuming, claimed Gane struck him multiple times in the back of the head during the fight-ending sequence and completely ripped into referee Herb Dean. Fans were booing Dean, blaming him for letting it slide.
But Dillashaw jumped in to defend Gane on this one too. “I don’t think he is (a cheater),” Dillashaw said. “It’s gotten blown out of the water since the Pereira fight. Obviously everyone is a Pereira fan. They want him to win, and they want to call the illegal blows. It’s like, he wasn’t going for it on purpose, and Pereira’s moving his head as he’s hitting him. I think Herb Dean is unfortunately catching a lot of flack, as well. It’s so crazy to go to a fight and everyone boo Herb Dean. I feel bad for the guy. I don’t think (Gane is) a purposeful cheater at all.”
So, both former champs are saying Gane isn’t *trying* to cheat. They’re pinning it on the chaotic nature of fighting and perhaps a bit on the recipients of the blows, and the crowd’s bias.
This whole controversy isn’t just a ripple; it’s a wave of debate about fighter responsibility and official oversight. With two former champs backing Gane, calling these incidents accidents in the chaos of a fight, maybe it’s time to cut the undisputed heavyweight champion some slack. What does this mean for future fights? Will fighters adjust? Will refs change how they call it? The conversation is just getting started.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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