UFC 334’s Ciryl Gane fires back at ‘cheater’ accusations — ‘I know who I am’

Ciryl Gane has heard the cheating allegations — and he isn’t losing any sleep over them.

The reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight champion returns to action this weekend (Sat., Nov. 14, 2026), defending his title against red-hot undefeated contender Josh Hokit in UFC 334’s main event inside Madison Square Garden in New York City.

However, Gane enters his first undisputed title defense with the unwanted label of being a “dirty fighter.”

The accusations exploded after Gane’s UFC 321 title fight against Tom Aspinall ended in a “No Contest” because of an accidental double eye poke. Aspinall suffered serious injuries, underwent multiple eye surgeries and has remained sidelined ever since.

Gane then received more criticism after defeating Alex Pereira to capture the interim Heavyweight title at UFC Freedom 250. “Poatan” accused the Frenchman of landing several illegal shots to the back of his head during the fight-ending sequence.

Two controversial fights were enough for some fans—and Aspinall himself—to begin calling “Bon Gamin” a cheater.

Gane doesn’t see it that way.

“There’s not much you can say to attack me,” Gane told RMC. “I’m confident in who I am when I look in a mirror. I’m okay the same way. Also, they will want to say that I am a cheater, etc. Good, it’s all the same when I look at myself in the mirror. I know I’m not a cheater.”

The 36-year-old also believes the facts—and the referees who have officiated his fights—support his case.

“People like to say some stupid things about me, but it’s just about statistics, or just about the rules, the facts,” Gane said during a Paramount interview. “When you ask the referees—the biggest referees in UFC—they’re going to tell you, ‘No, there is nothing special with Ciryl.’”

“A lot of real good fighters are saying, ‘No, Ciryl is not a cheater,’” Gane continued. “So, step by step, people are trying to balance it a little bit.”

Indeed, former UFC champions Dominick Cruz and T.J. Dillashawrecently defended Gane, arguing that his fouls were accidental and did not make him a purposeful cheater.

Hokit has still had plenty of fun with the controversy ahead of UFC 334, recently posting footage of himself training blindfolded to prepare for a potential eye poke.

Gane can deny the label all he wants, but the quickest way to finally quiet his critics would be delivering a clean—and controversy-free—title defense this weekend.

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