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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tUFC Contender Rips \u201cSerial Cheater\u201d Ciryl Gane Over Long List of UFC Fouls<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n Former UFC contender Josh Thomson did not hold back while discussing Ciryl Gane\u2019s history of fouls, saying the UFC heavyweight has built a record of incidents that is too frequent to dismiss as bad luck. Speaking on the \u201cWeighing In\u201d podcast, the former Strikeforce champion pointed to what he described as five eye pokes, three groin shots and four illegal elbows during Gane\u2019s UFC run. <\/p>\n \u201cSome fighters make up 90% of the fouls,\u201d Thomson said. When you are a cheater, you are a serial cheater, and I don\u2019t mean like Ciryl Gane. I just mean Ciryl cheater.\u201d He added that Gane has had \u201c10-15 notable foul incidents\u201d since arriving in the UFC, framing the French heavyweight\u2019s record as a recurring pattern rather than a collection of isolated mistakes. <\/p>\n The comments arrive after Gane\u2019s recent stoppage win over Alex Pereira reignited arguments about illegal strikes. Pereira said Gane landed punches and elbows to the back of his head during the finishing sequence and claimed those shots affected his ability to recover. Video from the sequence has led to debate because Pereira was turning and defending while Gane was attacking, creating the usual MMA problem: a strike can be aimed at a legal target, then land elsewhere when an opponent\u2019s position changes. <\/p>\n Former referee John McCarthy took that view, calling Gane reckless at times but stopping short of branding the shots intentional. Intent is difficult to prove in a fast exchange, yet a fighter remains responsible for controlling strikes, kicks and hand position. Under the Unified Rules, strikes to the back of the head and neck are prohibited, as are eye gouges and groin attacks. A referee must decide whether an illegal blow was accidental, whether it caused damage and whether the bout can continue. <\/p>\n Gane\u2019s most serious recent foul came against Tom Aspinall at UFC 321 in October 2025. Their heavyweight title fight ended as a no-contest at 4:35 of the opening round after an eye poke by Gane left Aspinall unable to continue. UFC Stats lists the official finish simply as \u201cEye poke by Gane.\u201d Aspinall later said he required surgery on both eyes, turning a single in-fight moment into a lengthy absence and a major point of tension between the rivals. <\/p>\n ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES \u2013 OCTOBER 25: (R-L) Ciryl Gane of France punches Tom Aspinall of England in the UFC heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 321 event at Etihad Arena on October 25, 2025 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Jeff Bottari\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n The issue did not begin with Aspinall. At UFC 285 in March 2023, Gane landed a groin kick on Jon Jones just seconds into their heavyweight title bout. Jones paused, recovered and went on to submit Gane in the first round. The foul did not decide the outcome, but it became another entry in a list critics cite whenever Gane is accused of fighting carelessly. <\/p>\n Gane\u2019s 2020 TKO win over Junior dos Santos remains the most contested example. Dos Santos\u2019 team appealed the result to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, arguing the elbow that dropped him landed on the back of the head and neck. The appeal sought a no-contest or disqualification. Gane kept the win, but the dispute lingered because dos Santos supplied images of bruising and challenged the referee\u2019s interpretation of the foul zone. His representatives did not accuse Gane of malice, though they argued the strike itself was illegal. <\/p>\n In 2022, dos Santos again criticized Gane after the heavyweight\u2019s knockout of Tai Tuivasa in Paris. A right hammerfist in the closing exchange appeared to land behind Tuivasa\u2019s head, and broadcaster Michael Bisping described it as a shot to the back of the head during the replay.<\/p>\n PARIS, FRANCE \u2013 SEPTEMBER 02: Ciryl Gane of France is interviewed after defeating Serghei Spivac of Moldova in a heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at The Accor Arena on September 02, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Josh Hedges\/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)<\/p>\nCiryl Gane\u2019s Foul History Back in Focus After Josh Thomson Comments<\/h2>\n