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Ciryl Gane isn't downplaying Francis Ngannou's strengths despite admitting that he looked tremendous against the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion in a viral video of their previous sparring session.
In the aforementioned clip, Gane appears to have gained the upper hand against Ngannou as he was able to land better strikes during the exchange. However, the interim heavyweight champ is under no illusion that fighting Ngannou at UFC 270 will be anything similar to their sparring sessions.
In an interview with French media outlet La Sueur, Gane said:
'It's true that in that clip – I'm not going to lie – it was a soft sparring and I could confidently develop my game. There were other sparring sessions where he [Francis Ngannou] had more the edge. One time it was me, one time it was him. To say that he was far ahead, no, it's not necessarily true. But it's true that this particular clip made me look good.'
Watch Ciryl Gane talk about his upcoming title fight with Francis Ngannou:
Gane added that he doesn't intend to beat Ngannou at his own game. 'Bon Gamin' believes trying to match Ngannou's strengths would be a fool's errand. He added:
'You know we're coming into this fight with our own strengths. We're not here to try and counter his strengths. We don't want to try and be stronger than him. Till today, I've never seen anyone as powerful, as athletic, [and] with such knockout power. I've never seen it. In terms of strength, Francis might be the most impressive guy in UFC history. I'm not going to try to become stronger than him in three months. It wouldn't make sense.'
Check out the sparring session between Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane:
Ciryl Gane vs. Francis Ngannou is one of the most highly-anticipated title fights in heavyweight history
Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane were once teammates at the MMA Factory. However, 'The Predator' decided to leave the Paris-based gym due to personal issues with his former coach, Fernand Lopez.
Lopez has since helped Gane climb the proverbial ladder in the UFC heavyweight rankings. After a fruitful run of three fights in 2021, Gane captured the interim heavyweight strap and secured a unification bout against his former sparring partner at UFC 270.
Due to their history and contrasting styles, many believe Gane poses a legitimate threat to Ngannou's title reign. The challenger is listed as a slight betting favorite against the reigning champ on multiple gambling sites.
