"Maybe he has something against me" - Ciryl Gane addresses Francis Ngannou blanking him backstage at UFC 268

Following UFC 268, backstage footage has emerged of UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou blanking his former teammate and upcoming opponent Ciryl Gane.

Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane once trained together under the tutelage of Fernand Lopez at the Paris-based gym MMA Factory. However, Ngannou has since moved to America to train with Eric Nicksick at Xtreme Couture.

By all accounts, Ngannou's departure appears to have been relatively amicable. However, the former teammates are now set to face off in a heavyweight title fight, currently scheduled for UFC 270.

Ciryl Gane recently spoke with Farah Hannoun of MMA Junkie about the recent out-of-character snub from Francis Ngannou at UFC 268. 'Bon Gamin' stated that he wasn't phased by Ngannou ignoring him or his coach. However, he was surprised that Ngannou did not acknowledge Nassourdine Imavov, whom Gane had been cornering at the event.

Gane stated that:

"I'm surprised because, maybe he has something against me. Maybe he has something against Fernand Lopez, his former coach. But, Nassourdine Imavov, like he crossed Nassourdine Imavov. Nassourdine Imavov just finished his fight and he won... In MMA Factory Nassourdine Imavov was the biggest sparring partner of Francis."

However, whilst he was surprised at Ngannou's refusal to acknowledge Imavov, Gane still remarks that it ultimately makes little difference to him:

"The stress slides off me. So that's okay. I'm fine with that. I'm not nervous. This had nothing for me. I got no feelings, no more feelings with that."

Check out Farah Hannoun's full interview with Ciryl Gane below:

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Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane

The fight itself between Ciryl Gane and Francis Ngannou promises to be an all-time great heavyweight classic. Gane is currently undefeated, having blitzed past the likes of Derrick Lewis, Alexander Volkov and Jairzinho Rozenstruik, claiming the heavyweight interim title in the process.

UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik v Gane

On the other hand, Francis Ngannou is riding high on a five-fight winning streak, most recently knocking out Stipe Miocic to capture the heavyweight belt. Now the two former teammates must face off in a title unification bout that shall headline the UFC's first pay-per-view event of 2022.

UFC 260: Miocic v Ngannou 2