5 reasons why Ciryl Gane is the man to beat Francis Ngannou

UFC fighter Ciryl Gane has quickly made his way to the top of the heavyweight rankings in the promotion. At UFC Vegas 30, the French athlete had a dominant outing against a really good opponent in Alexander Volkov.

Gane was in control for most of the fight and comfortably won a unanimous decision over 'Drago' after going five rounds with him. With six consecutive victories in the UFC, 'Bon Gamin' now has the longest active winning streak in the 265-pound division.

In a short time in the UFC, Gane has shown his fighting prowess by beating legitimate contenders like Tanner Boser, Junior dos Santos, and Jairzinho Rozenstruik.

With one or two more wins in the promotion, Gane can make a strong case for a title fight. Although the 31-year-old has already done enough to warrant a title shot, the heavyweight title picture currently involves Derrick Lewis, Stipe Miocic, and Jon Jones.

Ngannou is the most dangerous man in the heavyweight division. 'The Predator' has proved this time and again with vicious knockout wins over elite fighters like Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, Alistair Overeem, and Curtis Blaydes.

In his last fight at UFC 260, the Cameroonian fighter knocked out the former UFC heavyweight champion Miocic to be crowned the new king of the division. The fight showed that Ngannou had grown by leaps and bounds from their previous encounter at UFC 220.

It seems like Gane and Ngannou are bound to face each other in the octagon sooner or later. Although Ngannou is a force to be reckoned with, Gane possesses qualities that can help him defeat 'The Predator'.

Here are five reasons why Ciryl Gane might be the man to beat Ngannou:

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#5 Technically superior striking of Ciryl Gane

Ciryl Gane knows how to pick his shots and fight from the outside. He showed that in his fight with Rozenstruik and Volkov.

'Bon Gamin' has a lot of tools in his arsenal, and we witnessed this against JDS, where he knocked out the former champion with an elbow strike. His striking proficiency could give the Frenchman an edge over Ngannou.

#4 Ciryl Gane's composure inside the octagon

Ciryl Gane remains calm and collected during fights. Unlike many other heavyweight fighters, Gane does not rush in for a flashy knockout. Instead, he takes his time and looks for the right opportunity to attack his opponents.

Although Ngannou is arguably the hardest hitter on the entire UFC roster, he's not the most composed fighter. As seen in his fight with Rozenstruik, the heavyweight champ throws wild haymakers way more than jabs or feints.

This could work in the French fighter's favor as he can wait for the champion to rush in and make a mistake and then capitalize on it.

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#3 Ciryl Gane and Francis Ngannou are former teammates

Ciryl Gane and Francis Ngannou used to be teammates at MMA Factory under coach Fernand Lopez. The two fighters trained together a couple of times which can be helpful to Gane as he will know what to expect from Ngannou if they ever fight.

Gane is not very close to Ngannou at the moment and has expressed interest in fighting 'The Predator' on multiple occasions.

"When I arrived in the gym, in the MMA Factory, Francis lived already in Vegas. I just saw Francis a few times when he come back to Paris to prepare for a fight. So, no, I’m not really close to Francis now. Everybody knows the strength of Francis is the power and everybody knows my strength is I move a lot. I have the footwork, so this is a good matchup." said Gane.

In a post-fight press conference after his win over Volkov, Gane reiterated the same sentiment.

"I’m comfortable with this matchup if this matchup is going to happen. Now, for title, I’m really comfortable with this situation because we was born in the same gym. Before, it was a little bit (uncomfortable), you know? Now I’m comfortable. We’re going to fight for the belt. This is beautiful for us, for me, for him and my coach.” said Ciryl Gane.

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#2 Ciryl Gane has a solid ground game

Ciryl Gane is one of the most well-rounded fighters in the UFC's heavyweight division. Apart from having sound striking skills, 'Bon Gamin' is dangerous on the ground too.

Gane has three submission wins in his MMA career, two of them coming in the UFC. The French fighter's first submission win in the promotion was against Raphael Pessoa. Gane put Pessoa in an arm-triangle choke and submitted him in the first round of the fight. His next fight against Don'Tale Mayes ended with a heel hook submission victory for the 31-year-old in the third round of the fight.

So, if the potential fight between Ngannou and Gane goes to the ground, it will not be difficult for Gane to outperform Ngannou and put him in a submission.

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#1 Ciryl Gane can fight for five rounds

One reason why Gane's performance at UFC Vegas 30 was so impressive is that 'Bon Gamin' started his professional MMA career only three years ago in August 2018.

The French fighter only fought three times professionally before making his debut in the UFC. 'Bon Gamin' has won all his fights and is currently undefeated with a 9-0 MMA record.

In his last two fights against Rozenstruik and Volkov, Ciryl Gane has shown that he possesses the gas tank required to go all five rounds in a fight. This is a scarce quality in a heavyweight fighter as most of them get tired after the first couple of rounds.

Ngannous has fought for 25 minutes only once in the octagon. When he fought Miocic at UFC 220 for the UFC title, 'The Predator' was utterly overwhelmed by the champion, who cruised to a dominant decision win. Ngannou looked tired after the first couple of rounds and could not do much to stop Miocic from taking him to the ground.

If a fight with Gane goes all five rounds, it is unlikely that Ngannou would emerge as the victor.