Ciryl Gane title shot draws De Fries blast

Ciryl Gane’s next title chance has landed badly with Tom Aspinall’s team.

Phil De Fries, the long-reigning KSW heavyweight champion and one of Aspinall’s sparring partners, has criticised the lack of serious punishment for fouls in MMA after Aspinall’s October fight with Gane ended in a no-contest at UFC 321. Aspinall was poked in both eyes in that bout, later had surgery on both eyes, and remains out of action eight months later.

Gane, meanwhile, is scheduled to fight Alex Pereira for an interim UFC heavyweight title at UFC Freedom 250. De Fries accepts why the promotion would see value in that matchup, but he argued that the sequence sends the wrong message when the injured champion is still recovering and the fighter involved in the foul is being booked into another championship fight.

Ciryl Gane interim title row

De Fries made clear that his issue is not simply with Gane getting a major fight. His complaint is with a rules system that, in his view, does not create enough consequences when fouls change the direction of a bout or leave an opponent hurt long after the cage door closes. He pointed to eye pokes and strikes to the back of the head as fouls that are illegal on paper but, according to him, rarely lead to meaningful punishment.

Speaking to Bloody Elbow, De Fries described Aspinall’s situation as a brutal one for the champion and said Gane had been handed a huge opportunity after the no-contest. He also used a blunt line to sum up his frustration with the current incentives: “Why not cheat?” His point was that if a fighter can foul, avoid a loss, and still move into a title fight, then the rulebook is not doing enough to discourage dangerous tactics.

Tom Aspinall still sidelined

Aspinall has not returned since UFC 321. The source material states that the UFC heavyweight champion underwent double eye surgery after being poked in both eyes by Gane. That absence is central to De Fries’ argument because Gane is now preparing for an interim belt while Aspinall remains unavailable because of the damage from their fight.

• Tom Aspinall’s fight with Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 ended as a no-contest after eye pokes.
• Aspinall later had surgery on both eyes and is still out eight months later.
• Gane is booked to face Alex Pereira for an interim heavyweight title at UFC Freedom 250.
• Phil De Fries wants harsher punishment and video review for serious fouls in MMA.

Phil De Fries calls for VAR

De Fries said he has experience as a referee and understands that some fouls are difficult to catch in real time. His proposed fix is to use the available video more aggressively, with officials reviewing footage when a major infraction is in dispute. He argued that MMA may need one severe punishment in a high-profile case before fighters and teams start treating these fouls as a major risk rather than a momentary warning.

The KSW champion’s comments also came with his own career moving forward. De Fries defended his heavyweight title for the 14th time in April, submitting Marcin Wójcik, and he said he wants to compete again near the end of 2026. He named Eddie Hall as the fight he wants, while noting Hall’s upcoming boxing assignment against Tommy Fury and saying he expects Hall to struggle badly against a professional boxer of that level.

De Fries’ demand is straightforward: if fouls such as eye pokes can alter careers and title pictures, he wants officials to use video review and impose punishments strong enough to change fighter behaviour.