The UFC is no stranger to gruesome injuries inside the Octagon, from Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman snapping their shins, to Jon Jones breaking his toe. Signing up to fight in the biggest mixed martial arts promotion in the world comes with no safety guarantees, and fighters have to brace for the worst kinds of injuries that could put them out of action for a long time. The latest addition to that list is French heavyweight Ciryl Gane, who suffered a hurl-inducing injury in the opening round of his three-round war with Alexander Volkov at UFC 310.

The Frenchman secured a split decision victory over Volkov but it was evident that the Frenchman was surprised by the verdict. Volkov was shocked when his hand was not raised even though he landed more strikes and had almost 52 seconds of more ground control time than Gane. The Russian also secured one takedown more than his opponent, and as soon as the bout was awarded to his opponent, Gane immediately started limping his way out of the octagon before being called by Joe Rogan.

When Rogan asked him why he was leaving, he said, “I got a win, but I’m not happy about this fight.” Gane then announced that he had broken his toe in the first round, after doubling down on the fact that he wasn’t happy with the victory, “Unfortunately, I am not happy about my fight. I broke my toes. At the first teep [kick], at the first second of the fight. I’m not happy about the fight. I’m happy about the decision, it was a real turn, it was not easy for me anyway.”

Rogan asked  Ciryl Gane in clarification whether he broke his toe in the first round and Gane answered in affirmative. He then said, “Yeah, look at my toes, at the first teep, I broke my toes. This is what it does, But anyway no excuse.”

Interestingly, Gane posted an Instagram story resting at home after the injury and said that he wanted a different outcome while still glad that the victory was in his bag. All in all, it was clear to everyone that Volkov deserved to win. Even Jon Anik and Rogan said the same. “Volkov should have won that one,” Joe Rogan said before Anik concluded: “The reaction of his coach was very telling”. Even Dana White has questioned the split decision win of the Frenchman.

Dana White doesn’t agree with Ciryl Gane’s win at UFC 310

When the fight started at  UFC 310 the 34-year-old showed fluid and seamless movement but Volkov proved to be dangerous as well. Punches and strikes were raining down like thunder and it was a battlefield, with both fighters hurting each other at different points in the fight. The Russian fighter was not taking it slow at all and came swinging from the very first second.

There were takedowns, leg kicks, and grappling exchanges in the game. In a move uncanny for the Frenchman, Gane secured a clean double-leg takedown on Volkov and even got some points for his late guillotine choke attempt. The second round saw Volkov’s prowess with his spinning back fist. By the end of this round, it was clear that the Russians had the upper hand. However, even though it was clear to the spectators that the decision should be in favor of the 38 fight winner, with the scorecards showing 29-28, 28-29, and 29-28 in Gane’s favor.

Everyone expected the judges to award Alexander Volkov with the win. Even Gane felt like he didn’t win that bout. Dana White was stunned as well and approached a bewildered ‘Drago’ in an attempt to console him. “So here’s what happened after that fight, you heard the boos, I went over to Volkov, I apologized to him, I thought he won the fight,” he explained at the UFC 310 post-fight press conference. He then said that the head of the commission came over to him and said that the second round was a close call and could have gone either way. White was visibly frustrated but said, “At the end of the day, they decide who wins and loses, not us.”

As the storm subsides for this event, the controversy around Gane’s split decision win is still floating in the air. Everyone including the boss thinks Volkov should have won so was this a fair decision? Will this go down in the records of UFC as one of the more controversial robberies of 2024? Share your thoughts in the comments below.