Tom Aspinall prefers Ciryl Gane over Lesnar and Werdum in hypothetical fights | BJPenn.com

Tom Aspinall definitely rates Ciryl Gane highly as a fighter ahead of their matchup this weekend, and that came through during a recent media appearance he did where he chose ‘Bon Gamin’ over multiple former UFC champions. The reigning UFC heavyweight champion took part in a segment for TNT Sports as part of their ‘Winner Stays On’ segment, with Aspinall picking winners in fantasy battles.

Brock Lesnar’s name was mentioned early on, with the British division chief picking Lesnar to defeat Andrei Arlovski and Don Frye before the former UFC heavyweight champion was described as someone who would lose to Gane. After Lesnar was pulled from the match, Aspinall also favored Gane defeating another former titleholder in the UFC heavyweight ranks.

That fighter in question was Fabricio Werdum, and the game even expanded to include some former light heavyweight champions. Aspinall picked Gane over top former 205-pound kingpins such as Chuck Liddell, Rashad Evans and Quinton’ Rampage Jackson before ultimately choosing Randy Couture over Gane in a potential prizefight.

Tom Aspinall is “prepared for a very tough fight” against Ciryl Gane

Tom Aspinall clearly has a high opinion of Ciryl Gane as a fighter, and it shows in the way he breaks down the machinations of their duel, which awaits them on October 25. It is not lost on Aspinall that he is a huge betting favorite heading into Saturday, but he is not letting it take up much space in his mind.

While providing an overview of the challenge that awaits him in the coming days, Aspinall said [via MMA Junkie],

“I think there’s a perception among the media and maybe among the fans that Ciryl isn’t very good, which is just complete nonsense. I think he’s really good. He’s super talented, he’s been at the top of the division for a number of years, which is not easy to do.”

“He’s been interim champion himself. He’s obviously had two undisputed titles as well, so I think the guy is really good. I took him extremely, extremely seriously. The fact that people expect it to be an easy fight, I didn’t read that at all. I’m prepared for a very tough fight.”