Video footage showing Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane sparring together, with Aspinall wearing protective headgear, has leaked online.
Video footage showing UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall sparring with top contender Ciryl Gane has surfaced online, giving fans a rare look at two of the division's best working together in the gym.
Aspinall, 33, is the reigning UFC heavyweight champion and holds a professional record of 15-3-0. The Manchester-born fighter, who trains out of Team Kaobon, stands six-foot-five with a 78-inch reach and has built a reputation as one of the most well-rounded heavyweights in the sport. He lands an eye-catching 7.63 significant strikes per minute at a 67 percent accuracy rate, while also averaging 2.62 takedowns per 15 minutes. In the leaked footage, he is seen wearing protective headgear during the session.
Gane, nicknamed Bon Gamin, enters the footage as the division's second-ranked contender with a record of 14-2-0. The Frenchman, who trains out of MMA Factory in Paris, is 36 years old and brings a notably longer reach to the equation at 81 inches, despite standing just one inch shorter than Aspinall at six-foot-four. He averages 5.29 significant strikes per minute at 61 percent accuracy, relying heavily on his technical striking rather than grappling to dictate fights.
Why it matters
- Gane sits at number two in the heavyweight rankings, making him one of the most credible potential challengers to Aspinall's title
- The sparring suggests a possible future matchup between the two, or simply a shared training camp arrangement
- Their contrasting physical profiles — Aspinall's explosive output versus Gane's reach and movement — make for an intriguing stylistic pairing
- Both fighters are orthodox heavyweights, meaning the sparring footage offers a meaningful look at how each adapts to a mirror matchup
