Dominick Cruz and T.J. Dillashaw defend Ciryl Gane: 'He's not a cheater' despite eye pokes

Former UFC bantamweight champions Dominick Cruz and T.J. Dillashaw have come to the defense of UFC heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane, saying the Frenchman is not a cheater despite the fouls that have followed him through his last two title fights. The pair discussed Gane on Cruz's "Love & War" podcast, MMA Junkie reported on Thursday, October 29, ahead of Gane's title defense against Josh Hokit at UFC 334 on November 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

The eye pokes and the Pereira finish

Gane (14-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC) has faced repeated accusations of foul play over the past year. His heavyweight title fight with Tom Aspinall at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi in October 2025 was ruled a no contest at 4:35 of the first round after an accidental double eye poke left Aspinall unable to continue. According to MMA Junkie, the injury led to multiple eye surgeries for Aspinall, who later vacated the belt after not being cleared to compete, and Gane was promoted to undisputed champion.

Gane then drew more criticism for his TKO win over Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250 in June. Pereira said Gane hit him with numerous strikes to the back of the head in the fight-ending sequence and aimed his anger at referee Herb Dean.

Cruz: 'If you can poke me in my eyes, I'm doing something wrong'

Cruz, a two-time UFC bantamweight champion known for his elusive movement, argued that the defending fighter bears responsibility for avoiding those situations.

"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," Cruz said. "I always said if you can poke me in my f*cking eyes, I'm doing something wrong. You can punch me in my head. Trying to hit my head is so f*cking hard. If you could poke me in the eye, that's my problem. So we agree on that, and I think that's why he's not a cheater."

Dillashaw: criticism 'blown out of the water'

Dillashaw, also a former UFC bantamweight champion, said the backlash grew after the Pereira fight and was driven largely by Pereira's popularity.

"I don't think he is (a cheater)," Dillashaw said. "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."

He also defended Dean: "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."

What's next for Gane

Gane makes his first defense of the undisputed heavyweight title against unbeaten Josh Hokit (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) in the UFC 334 main event, which is co-headlined by Kayla Harrison vs Amanda Nunes for the women's bantamweight title. Pereira, who wanted an immediate rematch with Gane, instead faces Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 335 on December 12 in Las Vegas.

• Confirmed: the UFC 321 no contest (accidental eye poke, 4:35 of Round 1) and Gane vs Hokit at UFC 334 on November 14.
• Opinion: Cruz's and Dillashaw's view that Gane's fouls were not intentional, as reported by MMA Junkie.