Ciryl Gane Says He Is Not a Dirty UFC Fighter

Ahead of this weekend’s UFC 334 card, UFC heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane is speaking out about accusations that he is a dirty fighter.

Gane takes on Josh Hokit in his first defense of the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 334 on Saturday, which takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.

Before the fight, Gane is shutting down talk that he’s a dirty fighter, as he has gotten that label from fans and fellow fighters for several of his fights that have featured eye pokes and strikes to the back of his opponents’ heads.

Ciryl Gane Says He Is Not a Dirty Fighter

Speaking to RMC Sports Combat, ahead of UFC 334, Gane shut down the notion that he is a dirty fighter.

“I think it’s a kind of frustration, or in any case, a struggle with acceptance that’s hard to deal with. ‘Yeah, the good kid seems nice; he’s cool and all that. Go ahead, he’s not a warrior. How is it that he’s beating us when we’re the real warriors? We’ve been doing this since we were little; he just shows up. He does this and that with a good mood!’ Maybe it’s like, ‘I won’t leave it like this. I’m going to drag his name through the mud.’ Because honestly, when I look in the mirror or when you see the training at the gym, you don’t see strategies like eye-gouging,” Gane said (via MMAFighting.com).

“I’m not here to try and convince anyone. I train hard. I control what I can control: my training, my fights, and so on. The rest, I try never to raise my voice or say anything out of line. I really try to respect all of my opponents from start to finish. And actually, by beating them, I’m respecting them. So I don’t know. I find it quite a shame, honestly. I find it a shame, but once again, there’s no need to talk about me on the web.”

Ciryl Gane Not Afraid of Josh Hokit

While Gane’s opponent at UFC 334, Hokit, is great at getting into his opponents’ heads with his brash trash talk, Gane said that strategy won’t work with him.

“He does it to destabilize certain fighters who are susceptible to being destabilized. I don’t think I am. I work a lot with my mental coach to make sure I’m not. And in reality, he also makes me laugh a little when he doesn’t cross the line or insult too much. He has moments that are quite funny,” Gane said.

According to the latest betting odds, Gane is a -195 favorite to defeat Hokit, who is a +170 betting underdog.

These odds are relatively tight, and they have been dropping since opening, as Gane has opened up as a bigger favorite to win the fight, as there is a subset of bettors who believe that Hokit has what it takes to win this fight.

On Saturday at UFC 334, we will find out once and for all who wins the fight.

This article was originally published on HEAVY

The post Ciryl Gane Says He Is Not a Dirty UFC Fighter appeared first on HEAVY.