Tom Aspinall laughs off Ciryl Gane’s ‘deep waters’ threat: ‘Everyone who said that gets KO’d in 1 minute’

Ciryl Gane has said he plans on using his distance and footwork to drag heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall into deeper waters than he’s ever been before at UFC 321 this Saturday afternoon (Oct. 25, 2025).

That’s music to Tom’s ears.

From a strategic point of view, it’s a sound strategy. Aspinall hasn’t fought past the second round once in his entire professional MMA career. 15 of his 18 fights have ended in the first round. So to draw the fight into the championship rounds is an obvious. But to Aspinall, it’s something he’s seen tried to no avail numerous times.

“Did he actually use the words ‘deep waters?'” Aspinall asked at UFC 321 media day. “Everybody who’s said the words ‘deep waters’ has gotten knocked out in the first minute. Go back and check it. Go back and check the media that you’ve done. So, pretty happy with that. That’s good.”

While Aspinall anticipates a quick finish, he has prepared for a grueling fight. He’s heard all the comments about the need to not just win but quickly dispatch Gane to prove he’s on Jon Jones’ level. “Bones” beat “Bon Gamin” in just over two minutes when they fought. If he can’t do the same, were all the critics that said Aspinall wasn’t on Jones’ level right?

“I think there’s this notion with the media and maybe the fans that Ciryl’s not very good, which is just complete bulls–t,” Aspinall said. “I think he’s really, really good. I think he’s super talented. Been at the top of the division for a number of years, which is not easy to do. He’s been an interim champion himself, he’s had two title shots for the undisputed championship as well.”

“I think the guy’s very good and I’ve taken him extremely seriously. The fact that people expect it to be an easy fight, I don’t read into that at all. I’m prepared for a really hard fight.”

As for all the questions surrounding who may be next for Aspinall if he wins, and whether he can finally secure a big fight against all the top names (who continue to keep his name out of their mouths), Tom was pragmatic.

“There’s still guys that want it,” he said with a shrug. “Maybe not the bigger names. Those guys have done enough to do whatever they want. I’m the champion, I fight the number one contender, that’s how in my opinion champions are supposed to work. It’s like, you’re the guy. You fight the next guy. Prove you’re the best. Rinse and repeat that as much as possible.”