"Levels ahead" - CM Punk names his pick for Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane at UFC 270

CM Punk has named his winner between Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane.

During a recent interview with Helen Yee, the AEW superstar and former UFC fighter stated that his pick for the main event of UFC 270 is 'The Predator'.

Punk has certainly taken note of Ciryl Gane's fighting style, as well. He believes the Frenchman is an amazing athlete. However, the AEW star thinks that Ngannou has fought tougher competition in the UFC.

CM Punk went on to mention Francis Ngannou's title-winning performance against Stipe Miocic. According to the 43-year-old, Ngannou looked way better in the rematch than he did in his first fight against Miocic in 2018.

"My pick is [Francis] Ngannou. Listen, Gane's amazing, you know, but Ngannou, I feel, maybe has fought tougher competition and just watching him evolve as a fighter. Like the last Ngannou we saw, against Stipe [Miocic] was like levels, levels ahead of the first time we saw those two fight. So, I think, he is progressing in the gym, at like such a fantastic rate," said CM Punk.

CM Punk concluded his statement by claiming that a win for Francis Ngannou at UFC 270 shouldn't come as a shock. The AEW star is definitely backing the reigning UFC heavyweight champion to retain his title.

"I don't think if it would be so shocking if he beat Gane but he's my pick to win."

Check out CM Punk's interview with Helen Yee below:

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Francis Ngannou became the UFC heavyweight champion at UFC 260

At UFC 260, Francis Ngannou finally became the UFC heavyweight champion. 'The Predator' initially challenged Stipe Miocic for the title at UFC 220 but failed to win the heavyweight title after being outclassed by the now-former champion.

Since capturing the UFC heavyweight title back in March 2021, Francis Ngannou hasn't had the chance to defend the gold. The reigning heavyweight champion will return to action on 22 January 2022 in a title unification bout against Ciryl Gane.

During Ngannou's octagon absence, the UFC decided to create an interim UFC heavyweight title. At UFC 265, 'Bon Gamin' defeated Derrick Lewis to win his first-ever UFC title.

Francis Ngannou and the UFC have also reportedly failed to come to an agreement while negotiating his contract. Reports have suggested that Ngannou's upcoming fight with Ciryl Gane will be his last with the promotion.

However, Dana White has recently claimed that Francis Ngannou will still have one more fight left on his contract after the Ciryl Gane bout. As things stand, it remains to be seen if the UFC and Ngannou can come to terms.