With Jon Jones officially vacating the heavyweight throne, momentum is finally building in the heavyweight division. The new champion, Tom Aspinall, now has his first assignment as the undisputed champion. ‘Honey Badger’ is now all set to defend his title against none other than Ciryl Gane at UFC 321. It seems the champion had been eyeing the contender for quite some time, patiently waiting for the moment to make this matchup a reality. But is the fight really worth it? Well, Eric Nicksick and Randy Faehnrich don’t quite think so.

This will be the third shot at the title for Gane, who has surprised both Nicksick and Faehnrich. The 35-year-old fighter is coming into the clash after a controversial decision victory over Alexander Volkov at UFC 310. It seems both Nicksick and Faehnrich are not quite impressed with the selection of opponent for Aspinall. The pair sat down for a chat on the “Verse Us with Eric Nicksick” podcast and shared their honest opinion on the whole situation. According to them, it seems that the lack of quality fighters in the heavyweight division is what has forced the UFC to go with the Frenchman.

“By the way, Ciril Gane getting a fourth title shot is actually insane,” Faehnrich said. Listening to the claim, Nicksick, who scoffed, couldn’t stop himself from commenting: “Crazy!” Faehnrich further went on to add, “Everybody keeps saying third title shot, but it’s his fourth because he fought for Francis’s interim in Houston against Derrick Lewis, then he fought Francis, then he fought Jon, and now he’s getting Aspinall. It’s like how? You lost.” This is in reference to the interim heavyweight title he won against Lewis at UFC 265 in 2021. Though he agreed, Coach Nicksick, who has trained Francis Ngannou for years now, added, “Yeah. I mean, this is the fight to make.”

After a spirited discussion where, though they agreed Ciryl Gane didn’t deserve a shot at the heavyweight crown, Eric Nicksick reluctantly admitted, “Coz there is nothing else to make.” At the moment, the fight has all the makings of becoming a blockbuster fight between two powerhouses.

Not to forget that the pair also has a bit of rivalry from the past (Gane not fighting Aspinall three times before in the past), which makes it even more interesting. However, the champion at the moment is hungry to perform and is at the peak of his powers. So, what game plan should the challenger apply when he steps inside the Octagon at UFC 321? Former UFC champion Michael Bisping has shared his take on the matter.

Michael Bisping feels Ciryl Gane needs to work on his wrestling before UFC 321

Ciryl Gane may have the size and slick footwork, but will that be enough when a British juggernaut like Tom Aspinall is charging his way? That’s exactly what UFC veterans Michael Bisping and Paul Felder found themselves debating recently. With Aspinall preparing to defend his undisputed heavyweight crown at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi, the matchup has fans and analysts buzzing. But when it came time to break down Gane’s strategy, ‘The Count’ took a surprising turn. The former champion made it clear that the Frenchman needs to put in a lot of hours in his wrestling training.

During episode no. 645 of the Believe You Me podcast, Bisping said, “Well, in terms of the matchup, they’re both big men, similar sizes. They’re both athletic, very athletic. They’re fast, the pair of them. They’re both very coordinated. I think if I had to give an advantage Ciryl, it would be in the, you know, maybe in the movement, maybe he’s a little slicker on the feet, but he’s not as powerful as Tom.” Bisping then pointed out that the biggest turning point in the fight would be the wrestling skills of Aspinall. He further added, “Um, but the wrestling, the grappling side of things, it’s not even a conversation. Tom should be able to take him down, if he chooses to.”

But Bisping just doesn’t point out the flaws; he also ends up giving solutions. And the solution for the Frenchman is to work on his wrestling, and he jokingly pointed out that he should be traveling to Dagestan before his fight. Bisping said, “So, if Ciryl Gane isn’t training in Dagestan for two, three months, years, days, weeks, whatever…” Though Bisping’s suggestion may sound like a joke, it wasn’t for laughs. It was a pointed reminder. Beneath the humor was a clear message. If you’re not living and breathing takedown defense at this level, you’re already playing catch-up. Will wrestling prove to be a deciding factor in the upcoming clash? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.