“
There are still steps to climb and the road is long but I can be proud of this belt”.
Ciryl Gane could have a smile, Sunday at the hour of croissants, at the microphone of RMC Sport.
8,000 kilometers from Paris and the MMA Factory, training room in the 12th arrondissement where he sweats liters of sweat every week under the orders of his coach Fernand Lopez, the French fighter achieved a very high performance by winning the UFC acting heavyweight belt.
A great first for French MMA.
Read also: MMA: Who is Ciryl Gane, the "Good Kid" who claims to be a UFC world champion?
In the overheated atmosphere of the Toyota Center in Houston, the one everyone nicknamed “Bon Gamin” for his good dough side out of the cage outclassed the American Derrick Lewis, beaten by TKO in the 3rd round. Faced with a heavier opponent (120 kg against 111 kg) and more experienced (34 fights against 10), Gane unfolded to perfection the "gameplan" concocted by coach Lopez who gave voice behind the fence. Dominating in the face of a wait-and-see, even apathetic Lewis, who never managed to place his reputedly devastating right, the Frenchman used it with low kicks and was precise with his left jab. Cracked, the Texan dyke finally broke in the 3rd round on a sequence of Gane which pushed the referee to stop the fight.
“
It is not someone who works but who waits for cons. My way of boxing, my fighting style, abort the opponent
, explained after his victory Ciryl Gane, now turned to the upcoming fight for the official heavyweight belt against Francis Ngannou, the defending champion.
The champion is Francis. I will have to fight against him and, of course, I will have to win
”. “
Gane's impressive performance. He is now a legitimate contender. See you soon boy
“, Tweeted for his part the Cameroonian, also trained in MMA in Paris with Fernand Lopez before moving to the United States. Although unlikely for a big money question, the idea of a clash between the two fighters in the French capital seduces Gane. "
Where is it going to be done?" I've no idea. For the French MMA and the fighters, I want to bring the UFC back to France
”, blows the native of La Roche-sur-Yon, new banner of a sport long marginalized in the Hexagon but which grows very quickly since its legalization in 2020.