The clash between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 was supposed to settle the heavyweight debate. It was supposed to be violence wrapped in strategy, power clashing with precision. Instead, we got 4 minutes and 35 seconds of chaos, momentum swings, and then heartbreak. Gane’s jab stung early, and Aspinall fired back with takedown attempts and shots of his own.

Both men even smiled mid-fight, like two warriors enjoying the puzzle in front of them. And then, Gane accidentally stuck fingers in both of Aspinall’s eyes, and everything crashed. A no-contest left the arena stunned, and the heavyweight division is still without answers. Now, with UFC boss Dana White confirming that the rematch is being worked on, the conversation has shifted from controversy to chessboard, because according to one veteran voice, the blueprint to solve the Frenchman’s puzzle inside the cage is already clear!

Tom Aspinall needs to “kick through” Ciryl Gane’s legs in the rematch, according to Dan Hardy

Enter Dan Hardy, a former UFC title challenger who knows the fight game like a surgeon knows anatomy. During a recent conversation with Submission Radio on YouTube, he broke down exactly how Aspinall can beat Gane this time. According to him, “I think Tom makes the necessary adjustments and I think he’s going to look more aggressive and I do think he’s going to try and slow Ciryl down by taking his legs away.”

That’s the key: destroy the base. Why? Because even in those brief exchanges, Ciryl Gane’s jab and mobility bothered Aspinall. Hardy explained the dynamic as he further shared, “Like Ciryl’s very good because he’s fast and he’s flighty and the adjustment that he made was that he settled down a bit on his punches. But the downside of course is that he is available to be kicked.”

So, what’s the solution? That’s where he dropped the bombshell in the conversation with Submission Radio, “Tom can, I mean, and I’m not saying this… this is not hyperbole, Tom can kick through your leg. Like we’ve got footage on it on the Full Reptile channel from his Cage Warriors days. He’s got bones like Wolverine.”

From a technical perspective, the strategy checks out. If Ciryl Gane’s jab was the blade, Hardy wants Tom Aspinall to swing an axe. The French fighter’s jab was the difference maker at UFC 321. He kept his head off-line, legs far back, and shot it like a fencer’s thrust. But jabs extend rhythm. And rhythm can be timed. So, in the rematch, if Gane flicks a jab, Aspinall can drop a shin into his calf or thigh. Do that early and often, and suddenly ‘Bon Gamin’s ballet can become a stumble.

Even Daniel Cormier recently shared on an episode of ‘Good Guy/Bad Guy’, “The rematch got a lot harder for Ciryl Gane, regardless of if Tom respected him this time. Because now, Tom Aspinall is going to know what Ciryl Gane can do and has felt him.”

As such, this isn’t just Dan Hardy hyping a countryman. It’s tactical truth. Gane thrives on movement. He’s the rare heavyweight who glides instead of stomps. So take that away, and you take him away. And let’s not ignore psychology. Gane left the cage apologizing to fans and to Aspinall, which is why the rematch can have pressure he might not expect. Meanwhile, Tom Aspinall walked out half-blinded and dealing with a wave of criticism from the online community; however, a former champion has now come out with a crucial piece of advice for the British heavyweight to tune out all the noise!

Henry Cejudo advises Aspinall to “forget” the trolls online

While the tactical chessboard belongs to Dan Hardy, the mental battlefield now has a voice of its own. Former double-champ Henry Cejudo has stepped forward with a message forged in experience for Tom Aspinall. Ignore the noise or let it consume you.

In a recent interview with ESPN, Cejudo stated, “Tom is a good guy and if he’s not careful, and if he’s f—ing around with these trolls, he’s in trouble. He might fight emotional. If he goes [into his next fight] antsy, it’s not going to be good for him. And if he loses, then the excuses will come, ‘it was the crowd.’ No, bro. Learn from those who have come before you. Forget them. Forget each and every one of them.”

Coming from a man who dealt with something similar, that holds weight. Earlier this year, at UFC Seattle, ‘Triple C’ was on the receiving end of a brutal eye-poke from Song Yadong and was unable to continue. That fight ended up as a technical decision loss for Cejudo, his third in a row. The internet comments section, as usual, was unforgiving. That’s the trap, according to Cejudo.

It’s raw advice, and it didn’t stop there. Even Dana White’s public skepticism, suggesting both Cejudo and Aspinall probably could have continued, came up, and the former champion confessed, “I get Dana, man. I respect my boss on top of all of that, so if I was to give Tom Aspinall some advice, don’t take it personal. Don’t take it personal, because it’s happened to everyone.”

The rematch will not simply be about power or finesse. It will test discipline, patience, and the ability to shut the world out when it screams the loudest. Tom Aspinall has the tools, the speed, and, if Dan Hardy is right, the “Wolverine bones” to turn Gane’s slick footwork into stationary target practice. But as Cejudo pointed out, he also needs clarity. So the question becomes: can Aspinall marry the physical game plan with mental composure in the rematch? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!