Ciryl Gane has been uncharacteristically quiet in the months following the most contentious bout of his career. Since his heavyweight title fight with Tom Aspinall ended in chaos due to multiple eye pokes that injured the champion, the majority of the media attention has gone to Aspinall.

The Briton accused ‘Bon Gamin’ of purposely cheating, documented the damage to his eyes, and constantly expressed how much the injury disrupted his daily life. But, ahead of his return to the White House event in June, Ciryl Gane has finally decided to respond. And he clearly believes Tom Aspinall has gone too far.

Speaking to RMC Sport Combat, the French heavyweight criticized what he called Aspinall’s “terrible” communication strategy after the fight.

“(Aspinall’s) communication strategy was terrible,” he said in his native French. “Today he signed with an agency that I hope helps him with his communication, because it was a disaster.

“Sometimes it’s better not to say anything. These things happen. You don’t need to overdo it, exaggerate it.”

‘Bon Gamin’ criticized the champion’s public description of his recovery, claiming Tom Aspinall was constantly trying to portray him as a dirty fighter.

“The guy was like, acting like he can’t drive anymore,” he continued. “He said so many things, and he spends so much time trying to accuse me of who knows what. It just didn’t make sense anymore at a certain point.

“Even his own fans must have been like, ‘Wow, man, that’s enough, relax.’ Like, these things happen. We’ve got your back, but you should calm down a bit. But yeah, that was his communication. I wasn’t affected at all. Social media is secondary.”

That is what makes this rivalry so tense moving forward. Tom Aspinall is certain that the fouls were intentional, claiming Ciryl Gane had his fingers extended toward his eyes throughout multiple exchanges. Meanwhile, ‘Bon Gamin’ seems to be more offended by the subsequent public campaign than by the accusations themselves.

Now, with the UFC reportedly planning a rematch between the two once Aspinall is healthy, this animosity may carry much more resentment than before.

Tom Aspinall promised UFC White House winner after the Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane clash

For all the bitterness surrounding Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane, the UFC looks to be directing both men back toward each other. As the champion dropped a positive health update, he recently revealed that the promotion has already laid out a plan for his comeback, and it all runs through the White House card on June 14th.

That means that while ‘Bon Gamin’ continues to defend himself against cheating claims, he is also potentially fighting for another shot at the very man accusing him. Only this time, with even more tension attached.

According to Tom Aspinall, the UFC has informed him that he will face the winner of Gane’s interim heavyweight title fight against Alex Pereira.

“Alex and Ciryl have to fight for the interim title,” he said on his YouTube channel. “I’m obviously going to fight the winner. The UFC has told me I’m fighting the winner.

“I have to wait for that to be done, and we fight the winner. No specific [date]. I’m waiting to get clearance, which is going to be coming soon; they’ve just told me. Any specific months depend on the UFC.”

If Ciryl Gane defeats Alex Pereira on the White House lawn, a rematch against Tom Aspinall becomes inevitable. The eye poke scandal, accusations of intentional fouling, dissatisfaction with recovery—all of it would immediately come rushing back into the spotlight.

And, unlike in the previous fight, there would be more emotions involved for sure. The Briton wants his title reign to properly restart. Ciryl Gane wishes to silence the narrative surrounding his name. The UFC may get an interim heavyweight title fight in June, but the real prize could be the chaos waiting afterward.