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Ciryl Gane has denied Francis Ngannou's claim that he was knocked out by 'The Predator' during a sparring session when they were teammates in the past.
Ngannou used to train with Gane at the MMA Factory gym. But after falling out with his coach and fellow countryman Fernand Lopez, the Cameroonian superstar moved to Xtreme Couture.
Lopez released footage of Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane sparring years ago in which 'Bon Gamin' looked sharp. However, Ngannou revealed during UFC 270 media day on Wednesday that he's previously knocked out Gane during training.
Responding to Ngannou's claim during an Instagram Live session, the Frenchman insisted that his upcoming opponent was potentially playing mind games to hype up their bout this weekend.
"He [Ngannou] said knock down so it means he put me down with a head kick. Well, that’s completely false... It is to create some buzz [for the UFC 270 main event]. Yeah maybe, maybe it’s a strategy to intimidate me etc. But I think you already know the answer. Haha, he is not going to intimidate me that easy," quipped Gane.
Watch Ciryl Gane in conversation with UFC France reporters and French film personality Franck Gastambide below:
The Ngannou vs. Gane heavyweight unification bout will headline UFC 270 at Honda Center in Anaheim. A flyweight championship encounter between Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo will serve as the co-main event.
Ciryl Gane is undefeated in MMA and is a former TKO world heavyweight champion
Gane's rise in mixed martial arts has been nothing short of phenomenal. After ending his Muay Thai career with a 13-0 record and the AFMT National title, 'Bon Gamin' joined Canada-based TKO Major League MMA.
He became the promotion's heavyweight champion on his debut in August 2018 and went on to make two successful title defenses.
Gane joined the UFC in August 2019 and holds a 7-0 record in the promotion. He beat the likes of Junior dos Santos, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Alexander Volkov and Derrick Lewis in dominant fashion on his way to winning the interim UFC heavyweight belt in 2021.
With a victory over Ngannou on Saturday, he would have reached the pinnacle of the sport, despite making his MMA debut just over three years ago.
