Ciryl Gane's head coach, Fernand Lopez, was just as unhappy as everybody else watching the last UFC undisputed heavyweight title fight.
The last time the belt was up for grabs, Gane's accidental eye poke ended the fight in Round 1, leaving then-champion Tom Aspinall unable to continue. About a year removed from that unfortunate situation at UFC 321, and Lopez is still unhappy with how it all played out. He believes nobody won that night, including his team, which may have been seen by some as beneficiaries of the situation.
"I was disappointed," Lopez told MMA Junkie. "I think the one who was most disappointed as a fighter, obviously, Tom was disappointed. I think he's a fighter and wanted to go to the end. Ciryl was disappointed, and so was the team.
We were just hoping that could pass really quick and move on."
Fast forward a year from last October, and things have changed drastically in the heavyweight division. Aspinall is still unable to make a recovery from the eye injury, which forced him to vacate his belt. Gane won the interim heavyweight title this summer by stopping Alex Pereira, and was promoted to undisputed with Aspinall's indefinite leave.
Throughout this process, both Aspinall and Gane have been heavily criticized by the fanbase for very different reasons. Lopez is aware of what's been said, and he would rather not weigh in and let people talk.
"I have no takes on it," Lopez explained. "Most of the time, you need to first understand that this is his health. He knows what's going on. He's the one that feels it. I totally understand if he cannot end this, and he needs to be sure that he's 100 percent to come back. I won't blame anybody. MMA is entertainment at the end of the day. Half of the people will agree with him, the other half will be hating him. The same for Ciryl. No matter what you or I will say, they will have their opinion, and nothing can change. I just wish for him and his family that he will be fine very soon."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Why Ciryl Gane's coach was 'disappointed' with Tom Aspinall title fight
