Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz found himself in an awkward situation during a recent interview, struggling repeatedly to pronounce Ciryl Gane’s name while offering his prediction for the Frenchman’s upcoming bout against Tom Aspinall.
The UFC Hall of Famer was confident in his pick, boldly predicting “Aspinall by submission” and even specifying that it would happen “by the third round.” However, his confidence in the prediction didn’t translate to familiarity with the fighters’ names.
When asked about the pronunciation of Gane’s name, Ortiz stumbled through multiple attempts, first offering “Seryogine?” before being corrected. He then tried “Serogan?” twice more before finally getting help from the interviewer.
“Thank you for correcting me. I mean, I’m not super familiar with these,” Ortiz admitted, acknowledging his struggle with the French fighter’s name.
The MMA legend went on to explain that foreign names have been a persistent challenge for him. “The Russians, they’ve been driving me nuts with some of their names,” he said, adding that he hosts pay-per-view events where proper pronunciation is crucial. “I’ve got to make sure I create the name correct.”
Despite the pronunciation mishap, Ortiz provided reasoning for his prediction, pointing to inactivity as a potential issue for Gane. “He hasn’t fought in a long time,” Ortiz noted. “And that’s going to take a big hindrance for him.”
However, when it was pointed out that Aspinall himself had been out for over a year, Ortiz maintained his stance. “I mean, it’s just one of those things. You’ve got to be in the cage all the time,” he explained. “You know, you fight two to three times a year. That’s what makes you a seasoned fighter.”
The former champion drew a comparison to another UFC star to illustrate his point about staying active. “I think that’s why Tony Strickland has done so well. Because he’s always sparring. He’s always in the cage. He’s always [competing]. And that just keeps you a seasoned fighter for sure.”
Whether his prediction of a third-round submission for Aspinall proves correct remains to be seen, but at least now he knows how to say Ciryl Gane’s name.
