Gane joins a long list of UFC fighters who turned down marquee matchups in favor of the silver screen.
Current UFC interim heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall, is scheduled to defend the substitute strap against No. 4-ranked Curtis Blaydes in the upcoming UFC 304 pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event, locked and loaded for Sat., July 27, 2024 at Co-op Live in Manchester.
Blaydes stepped up after former title challenger, Ciryl Gane, passed on the opportunity to shoot a new movie.
“Well, I learned a new word that describes Ciryl Gane perfectly,” Aspinall told Submission Radio. “He’s a thespian. Ciryl Gane’s a thespian these days. Is that the right word? That means an actor, right? That means like someone who’s into acting.”
The 34 year-old Gane, who already has multiple film and television roles to his credit, will instead compete at UFC Paris in September.
“So he’s thinking, ‘F**k this MMA stuff. I’m going to go and be the French Arnold Schwarzenegger here. I’m going to crack on with that.’ Fair play to Ciryl, though,” Aspinall said in a separate interview with The Mac Life. “Good luck to him. I’ve got nothing against Ciryl. Right now, he’s being an actor, and I wish him all the best in that. I do wish him luck with it. No, I probably won’t watch it. No hard feelings against Ciryl. I’m not trying to throw him under the bus or anything. I respect him. I respect what he’s doing.”