Ciryl Gane has given his thoughts on his upcoming interim heavyweight title fight against Derrick Lewis at UFC 265 on August 7th, and Francis Ngannouâs reaction to it.
The UFC shocked the MMA world earlier this week by announcing the interim title fight between Gane and Lewis, sidelining Ngannou, who won the heavyweight title only three months ago at UFC 260, when he knocked out Stipe Miocic in the second round.
Ngannou and his manager Marquel Martin have slammed Dana White and the UFC for booking the interim title fight in August, when the reigning champion had agreed to fight Lewis in September.
Ciryl Gane Knew Beforehand
Speaking to MMA Fighting, Gane, whoâs coming off a unanimous decision victory over Alexander Volkov last month at UFC Vegas 30, revealed he knew before his fight that something big was around the corner for him.
âBefore the [Volkov] fight we knew that,â Gane said. âThe UFC sent a message to [my coach] Fernand Lopez and he told me, âMy man, do your job tonight and after this fight, youâre gonna have some good news.â
âWhen we arrived in France on Monday, we got a message from the UFC about that fight for August. We knew about it, but if you donât have the contract, itâs not official, but when we knew about that, I stayed very focused against Volkov because we had to win that fight to have the chance for the title shot. So I was really focused and we did it.â
Although the offer came as a bit of a surprise to Gane, as the UFC had originally planned for Ngannou to defend his title against Lewis, he is still happy to have the opportunity to fight for the title.
âIt was awesome, I was really happy,â Gane said. âFor me, it means something. Iâm a young guy. Iâve just arrived and Iâm in the headline [spot] after just three years in MMA. I was a little bit [surprised] because we thought it would be Francis against Derrick Lewis, but Francis wasnât free for the fight in August so they chose me.â
Ngannou and his team are clearly upset over how things have played out, but Gane said that âThe Predatorâ shouldnât be too distraught as he is still the champion.
âI can understand [where Francis is coming from] but [I donât feel bad for him],â Gane said. âItâs just an interim title, so the champion is still Francis. Not really [feeling bad] for Francis. If I was Francis, this would be nothing for me.â
Derrick Lewis Is âDangerousâ
While his ultimate goal is to fight for the undisputed title, Gane said that he canât afford to underestimate Lewis, who has shown time and again that heâs the king of upsets.
âThis guy is very dangerous, we know that,â Gane said. âLike Jairzinho [Rozenstruik], a little bit, when this guy touches you just one time, youâre down. And thatâs very dangerous, but I think weâre gonna manage that style, touch him, and heâll never touch me. I think I have the skills to do that.
âYes, [Iâve been impressed with him] because some people say he doesnât have fight IQ, doesnât have some skills. But he knows what he has, and he can use it very well. I think this guy is really dangerous. But I think weâre gonna pressure him like we did Volkov. Weâre gonna make it [so heâs] in deep water, Iâm gonna give him a lot of pressure.â
Should he win the interim title, Gane said that he would like to unify the title in his hometown of Paris, where Ngannou also started his MMA journey.
âJust for the history, I would prefer [to fight] Francis Ngannou in Paris, [mostly] for the fans,â Gane said.
Who do you think wins the interim heavyweight title fight between Ciryl Gane and Derrick Lewis at UFC 265?
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