Michael Bisping Hands Tom Aspinall an Antidote as 68.52M Nation Rallies for His Defeat to Ciryl Gane

The wait is over. Tom Aspinall will finally defend his UFC heavyweight title against Frenchman Ciryl Gane in Abu Dhabi on October 25. Having already defeated three of the top five contenders in the division, the Englishman entered the UFC 321 press conference only to be drowned out by a partisan French crowd. “I mean, there was nobody else to fight,” Aspinall began, before giving in to the boos. “Ciryl, you just do your thing, I’ll just chill.”

Ahead of fight week, the UFC hosted a card in Paris and used the moment to promote Gane in front of his home fans. The French capital has built a reputation for producing some of the best atmospheres in European MMA, and this was no different. Aspinall, more accustomed to cheers at media events after capturing gold in a projected saga with Jon Jones, found himself targeted by the crowd instead. And while the audience may have had their say, fellow Brit Michael Bisping stepped in with a sharp antidote as 68.52M nation rallied for Aspinall’s defeat to Gane. So what did he say?

Why Tom Aspinall refuses to win the war of words

Michael Bisping, the first-ever British UFC champion who defeating Luke Rockhold for the middleweight title in 2016, knows better than most how to handle hostile crowds at press conferences. So now, reflecting on Tom Aspinall’s recent struggles to speak over the boos in Paris, Bisping recalled on his podcast, “As soon as he walked out, the French fans went crazy. Any time he opened his mouth, he could hardly speak. He was just drowned out by boos.”

The 46-year-old admitted he was frustrated watching Aspinall give in to the jeers. “In the end, he just kind of gave up. He thought, ‘You know what? Screwed. What’s the point? What’s the point in talking?’” Bisping explained, before imagining how he would have handled the same situation.

“If I was Tom, you know what I would have done? I would have talked some sh-t, but he kept it all very nice and polite and respectful. He should have talked some shit,” Michael Bisping said. He then offered the exact line he felt Aspinall should have delivered: “‘Hey, all your French fans, enjoy this moment right here because it ain’t gonna last. I am going to knock Ciryl out just like I’ve done to everybody else, and then you can all shut the f—k up.’ That’s what Tom should have said. But of course, that’s not Tom’s style.”

In the end, Bisping’s frustration boiled down to Aspinall refusing to engage in trash talk. “What he did say though was that he is excited to fight Ciryl Gane because he’s knocked out everyone else in the top five,” Bisping noted. But while Tom Aspinall may choose to rise above the boos, what he won’t be ignoring are the recent comments made by Ciryl Gane’s coach, Fernand Lopez.

Tom Aspinall fires back at Ciryl Gane’s camp

Fernand Lopez didn’t hold back when addressing the rising tension ahead of UFC 321. The head coach of Ciryl Gane’s camp outright accused Tom Aspinall of “lying” about claims that the Frenchman had turned down multiple fight offers in the past. Lopez dismissed those statements as false and shifted the focus, suggesting that the real story wasn’t about old negotiations, but about the pressure now weighing on the newly crowned champion.

Now, with Jon Jones temporarily sidelined, Lopez predicted that all eyes would be on the 15-3 fighter to deliver a definitive performance, hinting that the expectations could ultimately prove costly. But the British champion was quick to brush aside the remarks, making it clear that Lopez’s take on the situation carried little weight in his eyes.

“With all due respect, and I respect coaches so much, especially really high-level coaches. But with all due respect, his opinion is quite irrelevant to the situation,” Tom Aspinall said. He went on to clarify that any suggestion he might fold under the spotlight was simply misguided, insisting that the stage only fuels his drive.

In fact, the Salford native doubled down on his ability to rise to the occasion. “That’s great because I fight really well under pressure,” he explained. For the heavyweight titleholder, the cage has always been a place where pressure sharpens his edge, not dulls it. That mentality will once again be tested at UFC 321, where he faces a former interim champion he believes has been avoiding him for years. That said, what are your comments on Michael Bisping’s antidote to the silence? And do you think Tom Aspinall will be able to defeat the 35-year-old Frenchman?