In the main event of UFC 265, Ciryl Gane makes history by becoming the first French UFC heavyweight champion. Though the fight was for the interim heavyweight title, Ciryl Gane achieved huge feet only a few years into his MMA journey.
Going into the fight Ciryl Gane was a big favorite over Derrick Lewis. However, there was always this possibility that Lewis would land a knock-out punch out of nowhere and finish the fight. However, Gane was too technical and too skilled for the Black Beast at UFC 265.
It was a complete domination by Gane who outclassed Derrick Lewis. Gane showed impressive footwork and stayed out of the punching range of Lewis.
He was moving in and out to land his strikes, his leg kicks were on point and he invested a lot into the body kicks. After winning the first two rounds comfortably, Ciryl Gane threw caution to the wind and got into a phone booth fight for Lewis for a moment.
He also absorbed some huge blows from Lewis in round three but was able to finish the fight with some brutal ground and pound. With that performance, Gane has put the heavyweight champion on notice who is very similar to Derrick Lewis in terms of skillsets.
Francis Ngannou reacts to Ciryl Gane beating Derrick Lewis
It should be considered that Francis Ngannou has better striking than Derrick Lewis but he is also less durable than Lewis. Irrespective of that Ngannou will be a tougher opponent for Gane, who must be aware of that from his experience of training with Ngannou.
Following the fight, Ngannou reacted to Ciryl Gane’s win and stated:
“Impressive performance from Gane!
He’s now a legit contender.
See you soon boy. When you know you know.”
Francis Ngannou was not happy with UFC’s decision to book Derrick Lewis vs Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title. However, Ciryl Gane winning the interim title will only make his next fight with Ngannou a bigger deal.
Ngannou and Gane have a history between them as they were training partners. And now both are heavyweight champions who will fight to unify the title.
So who you got in the next heavyweight title fight between Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane?