"One of the worst errors in championship fighting history" - Firas Zahabi on Ciryl Gane's attempted leg lock against Francis Ngannou

Firas Zahabi criticized Ciryl Gane for falling back and attempting a heel hook in the fifth round of his heavyweight title clash against Francis Ngannou.

Gane was able to control the first two rounds, but Ngannou bagged the third and the fourth with his improved wrestling chops. 'Bon Gamin' appeared to be in control of the final round after hitting a surprise takedown of his own. However, he sacrificed the top position to attempt a leg lock — a move that cost him the fight.

In a post-fight analysis video posted on the Tristar Gym YouTube channel, Zahabi opined that Gane's decision to attempt a heel hook was "one of the worst errors in championship fighting history." The renowned MMA coach said:

"That [going for a leg lock] was one of the worst errors in championship fighting history. In a round-5 championship fight. He drops back for a leg lock. Now listen, I'm a leg locker. I have a T-shirt that says 'leg-lock everybody'. I'm a leg locker, guys. I love it. But it was the wrong time to do a leg lock. If I was his trainer, I would've been furious. I would have been calling [for him] to stay on top. Do not try to leg lock."

Zahabi added that despite that fact that Ngannou isn't very technically adept at defensive grappling, he was able to break out of the leg lock because Gane didn't execute the technique properly.

Check out Firas Zahabi's analysis of the UFC 270 main event below:

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Francis Ngannou sees reflection of himself in Ciryl Gane

After a meteoric rise, Francis Ngannou got his first shot at heavyweight gold against Stipe Miocic at UFC 220 in 2018. The Cameroonian star suffered a comprehensive defeat and bounced back after moving to Las Vegas to train at Xtreme Couture under Erik Nicksick. Ngannou overcame Miocic and won the title in their rematch at UFC 260 last year.

'The Predator' compared Ciryl Gane's performance at UFC 270 to his own showing in the first fight against Miocic. During an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Ngannou said:

"By the end of the fight, I [looked] at him and I saw me when I fought Stipe the first time. I was like this guy is done. Yeah, and he wasn't even and to listen to his coach, and he wasn't reacting. And I was like, he's done, this is exactly me when I fought Stipe the first time. That's the moment when I knew I win the fight... He was broken. I looked him in his eye, and thought, 'This is a done deal.'"

Check out the entire episode of The MMA Hour:

Francis Ngannou is still in a contract dispute with the UFC. His deal expires in December and he might not return to the octagon if both parties are unable to make significant headway during negotiations.

It remains to be seen if he will defend his title again.