Tom Aspinall was met with a hostile atmosphere during his UFC 321 press conference with Ciryl Gane.
The heavyweight champion, Aspinall, was met with boos from the French crowd, who were supporting their country’s favourite, Gane, before the pair fight in October in Abu Dhabi.
Their presser took place during the fight week in UFC Paris, with the main event between Caio Borralho and Nassourdine Imavov likely to determine one of Khamzat Chimaev’s next challengers.
Manchester’s own is making the first defence of his title on 25 October after Jon Jones vacated the belt and entered into a supposed retirement.
Tom Aspinall reveals the one thing that surprised him about Ciryl Gane after UFC face-off
His opponent, ‘Bon Gamin’, is no stranger to challenging for the heavyweight crown, with two unsuccessful attempts at winning the belt against Jones and Francis Ngannou.
Neither man will have the home advantage in the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, and ‘The Honey Badger’ will be hoping fans will hear what he has to say when they face off at their next press conference.
However, the champion did notice one thing that surprised him during their head-to-head, which could be a difference on fight night.
In a video posted to his YouTube channel, the MMA star explained: “He’s not as tall as I remember. I thought he was a bit taller than me.
“(I’ve) got my flats on. I thought he was quite a bit taller than me, but he isn’t, is he?”
His opponent is billed by the UFC as six feet four inches tall, while Aspinall himself is actually an inch taller at six feet five inches.
Michael Bisping reveals fiery response Tom Aspinall should have given to Ciryl Gane at the UFC 321 press conference
The hosting duties for the press conference fell to Michael Bisping for the first time in his career, as Dana White was unavailable.
In his own video reacting to the experience, he also noted the Paris crowd’s loud disdain for the usual fan-favourite champion.
Bisping, though, believed that while the heavyweight usually stays away from the trash talk, he felt he should have talked back to the crowd.
He said: “He should have talked some s- – -, what he should have said was, ‘Hey, all you French fans, enjoy this moment right here because it ain’t going to last because I’m going to knock Ciryl Gane out. Just like I have done everybody else, then you can all shut the f- – – up.
“That’s what Tom should have said. That’s what I would have said. But of course that’s not Tom’s style.”
The quick finishing titleholder is yet to be taken past the second round and holds the record for the shortest average fight time.