Ciryl Gane might be the unhappiest winner at UFC 310 after he eked out a controversial split decision over Alexander Volkov in their rematch.

While he got the nod on the scorecards, Gane actually limped out of the octagon before eventually returning to speak to Joe Rogan about the fight. It turns out Gane suffered some broken toes early in the fight but still got the nod with two judges scoring the fight 29-28 for him with the third judge going 29-28 for Volkov.

“It was really tight,” Gane said about the decision. “He did a really good job. I know I put him in some situations in danger. I’m not happy about the fight.

“I broke my toes in the first second of the fight. I’m not happy about the fight. I’m happy about the decision. I worked a lot. I’m not happy about this fight. I got the win but I’m not happy.”

Volkov actually opened the fight with a slick takedown but Gane did a good job avoiding any damage before escaping back to his feet. Gane then turn the tables with a powerful double leg takedown of his own to put Volkov on the canvas.

Gane maintained control but made a wrong move with a heel hook attempt, which allowed Volkov to slip free and scramble to his feet. Volkov attempted to return the favor with another takedown but Gane countered with a guillotine choke attempt that may have ended the fight if not for running out of time.

On the restart, Volkov uncorked a lightning quick spinning back fist that cracked Gane straight across the jaw. He then followed up with a head kick as Gane began operating off his back foot and he was much more tentative exchanging strikes with the Russian.

Gane eventually settled down and he blasted Volkov with a heavy right hand before the heavyweights went down to the ground momentarily. The fight didn’t stay there long as Gane worked his way back up with Volkov meeting him on the feet.

With five minutes remaining, Volkov went back to his grappling and Gane countered with a kimura attempt from the bottom. The heavyweights were stuck in a stalemate on the ground with Volkov careful not to give up position and Gane still holding onto the kimura.

Time ticked down with Volkov peppering away with a few more punches and Gane just stuck on the bottom without offering much resistance.

Despite Volkov seemingly doing enough to get rounds two and three, the judges disagreed and Gane got the nod by split decision. Volkov was understandably upset as he shared a few words with UFC CEO Dana White cageside before heading backstage.

No matter what, it’s still a win for Gane and that could potentially vault him into a title shot against interim champion Tom Aspinall, especially if negotiations for a fight against Jon Jones drag deep into 2025.