Former UFC contender Josh Thomson did not hold back while discussing Ciryl Gane’s history of fouls, saying the UFC heavyweight has built a record of incidents that is too frequent to dismiss as bad luck. Speaking on the “Weighing In” podcast, the former Strikeforce champion pointed to what he described as five eye pokes, three groin shots and four illegal elbows during Gane’s UFC run.
“Some fighters make up 90% of the fouls,” Thomson said. When you are a cheater, you are a serial cheater, and I don’t mean like Ciryl Gane. I just mean Ciryl cheater.” He added that Gane has had “10-15 notable foul incidents” since arriving in the UFC, framing the French heavyweight’s record as a recurring pattern rather than a collection of isolated mistakes.
Ciryl Gane’s Foul History Back in Focus After Josh Thomson Comments
The comments arrive after Gane’s recent stoppage win over Alex Pereira reignited arguments about illegal strikes. Pereira said Gane landed punches and elbows to the back of his head during the finishing sequence and claimed those shots affected his ability to recover. Video from the sequence has led to debate because Pereira was turning and defending while Gane was attacking, creating the usual MMA problem: a strike can be aimed at a legal target, then land elsewhere when an opponent’s position changes.
Former referee John McCarthy took that view, calling Gane reckless at times but stopping short of branding the shots intentional. Intent is difficult to prove in a fast exchange, yet a fighter remains responsible for controlling strikes, kicks and hand position. Under the Unified Rules, strikes to the back of the head and neck are prohibited, as are eye gouges and groin attacks. A referee must decide whether an illegal blow was accidental, whether it caused damage and whether the bout can continue.
Gane’s most serious recent foul came against Tom Aspinall at UFC 321 in October 2025. Their heavyweight title fight ended as a no-contest at 4:35 of the opening round after an eye poke by Gane left Aspinall unable to continue. UFC Stats lists the official finish simply as “Eye poke by Gane.” Aspinall later said he required surgery on both eyes, turning a single in-fight moment into a lengthy absence and a major point of tension between the rivals.
The issue did not begin with Aspinall. At UFC 285 in March 2023, Gane landed a groin kick on Jon Jones just seconds into their heavyweight title bout. Jones paused, recovered and went on to submit Gane in the first round. The foul did not decide the outcome, but it became another entry in a list critics cite whenever Gane is accused of fighting carelessly.
Gane’s 2020 TKO win over Junior dos Santos remains the most contested example. Dos Santos’ team appealed the result to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, arguing the elbow that dropped him landed on the back of the head and neck. The appeal sought a no-contest or disqualification. Gane kept the win, but the dispute lingered because dos Santos supplied images of bruising and challenged the referee’s interpretation of the foul zone. His representatives did not accuse Gane of malice, though they argued the strike itself was illegal.
In 2022, dos Santos again criticized Gane after the heavyweight’s knockout of Tai Tuivasa in Paris. A right hammerfist in the closing exchange appeared to land behind Tuivasa’s head, and broadcaster Michael Bisping described it as a shot to the back of the head during the replay.
