Tom Aspinall ready to reject £37.5m offer after Ciryl Gane fight | UFC | Sport
Tom Aspinall has revealed that he would turn down a £37.5million ($50m) offer to star in a Netflix show. The 32-year-old is preparing for his return to the Octagon this Saturday night, where he will face Ciryl Gane in Abu Dhabi. Aspinall’s last fight was a knockout victory over Curtis Blaydes in Manchester back in July 2024.
He was expected to take on his arch-rival Jon Jones this year, but the American failed to publicly commit to the bout. Eventually, ‘Bones’ chose to retire from the sport, leading to Aspinall being crowned the undisputed champion. His upcoming match with Gane has been long anticipated. The two fighters have exchanged verbal blows on numerous occasions as they were linked to a fight, but ‘Bon Gamin’ has been accused of avoiding the clash as he did not want to fight down in the rankings.
Gane was given another opportunity to face the Brit, but he declined in favour of a role in a French Netflix Original film ‘K.O.’ The 35-year-old took a break from the cage before returning to the Octagon last December, defeating Alexander Volkov via split decision.
While mutual respect exists between both Aspinall and Gane, the former appeared to take a dig at his forthcoming opponent, declaring he would turn down a mega-money Netflix deal whilst remaining an active competitor.
“I wouldn’t do a Netflix Documentary for $50million while I’m still active in fighting, no chance, you couldn’t pay me enough money to do it. I’m 100 per cent committed to my craft, 100 per cent,” Aspinall told RMC Sport Combat.
Gane will undoubtedly represent Aspinall’s most challenging examination to date inside the octagon. The Frenchman has competed for the undisputed championship on two separate occasions previously.
He initially suffered a decision defeat to Francis Ngannou in 2022, before being submitted by Jones 12 months later in Las Vegas. Aspinall has been on a remarkable rampage since joining the UFC and has only progressed beyond the opening round once since his promotional bow in 2020.
Despite this, Gane remains brimming with self-assurance and is convinced he can become the first combatant to drag the Wigan fighter into the later stages. The Frenchman’s audacious comments emerged during the UFC 321 media day on Wednesday and moments afterwards, Aspinall was made aware of his challenger’s assertions – with the heavyweight sensation delivering ‘Bon Gamin’ a warning.
“Did he say the word deep waters?” Aspinall responded, before continuing: “Everybody who said the word deep waters gets knocked out in the first minute.
“I do not think I am better than anybody. I think that every fight I go into, I really respect my opponent. Especially Ciryl. I think there is this notion in the media that and the fans that Ciryl is maybe not that good – which is complete bull****.
“I think he is really good and super-talented. He has been at the top of the division for a number of years which is never easy to do. He has been an interim champion himself. He has obviously had two title shots for the undisputed title as well. I think that people expect it to be an easy fight… I don’t expect it to be that at all. I am prepared for a really hard fight.”
When is Tom Aspinall vs Ciryl Gane?
Aspinall’s fight with Gane is scheduled to occur on October 25 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The duo’s encounter will top the UFC 321 pay-per-view bill.
Alexander Volkov and Jailton Almeida will also feature at the event – apparently competing for the number one heavyweight contender position. A light-heavyweight clash between Aleksandar Rakic and Azamat Murzakanov has been confirmed, with Mitch Raposo set to face off against Azat Maksum.
The co-main event will see Virna Jandiroba and Mackenzie Dern battle it out for the vacant women’s strawweight title. TNT Sports subscribers can tune into the preliminary card on TNT Sports 4 and TNT Sports Box Office from 5pm in the UK and Ireland.
The main card is set to kick off at 7pm UK time. In the headline bout, Gane is expected to enter the cage first around 9:30pm UK time, followed immediately by Aspinall.
Please note, all fight times are subject to change depending on the duration of the undercard. Fans in the UK and Ireland can exclusively watch the main card live on TNT Sports Box Office for a fee of £19.99.
