UFC Hall of Famer Dominick Cruz addressed the accusations that UFC heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane cheats in his fights.
In the past, Gane has been accused of poking his opponents in the eyes, as we saw in the Tom Aspinall fight at UFC 321, and also hitting them in the back of the head, as we saw against Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250.
So, is Gane a cheater? Cruz doesn’t think so.
Dominick Cruz Comments on Ciryl Gane Cheating Accusations
Speaking on the “Love & War” podcast alongside former UFC rival TJ Dillashaw, Cruz shared his thoughts on Gane being labeled as a cheater.
“This is my take on Ciryl Gane poking eyes: I haven’t had a lot of eye pokes in my career. I haven’t had a lot of groin shots in my career. I always said if you can poke me in my (expletive) eyes, I’m doing something wrong. You can punch me in my head. Trying to hit my head is so (expletive) hard. If you could poke me in the eye, that’s my problem. So we (Dillashaw) agree on that, and I think that’s why he’s not a cheater,” Cruz said (via MMAjunkie.com).
TJ Dillashaw Agrees With Dominick Cruz About Ciryl Gane
In addition to Cruz saying that Gane isn’t a cheating type of fighter, Dillashaw also shared his thoughts on the Frenchman, saying that he agrees with his former UFC bantamweight rival and that the Gane vs. Pereira fight blew things out of proportion for the heavyweight champ.
“I don’t think he is (a cheater). It’s gotten blown out of the water since the Pereira fight. Obviously everyone is a Pereira fan. They want him to win, and they want to call the illegal blows. It’s like, he wasn’t going for it on purpose, and Pereira’s moving his head as he’s hitting him. I think Herb Dean is unfortunately catching a lot of flack, as well. It’s so crazy to go to a fight and everyone boo Herb Dean. I feel bad for the guy. I don’t think (Gane is) a purposeful cheater at all,” Dillashaw said.
UFC Hall of Famer Addresses Ciryl Gane Cheating Accusations