Francis Ngannou will defend his UFC heavyweight gold against the interim champion Ciryl Gane at UFC 270. Ahead of their title unification bout, let's take a deeper look into this teammates-turned-foe rivalry.
When Ngannou was 26-year-old, he and Gane used to share the same MMA gym named MMA Factory in Paris, France. The two used to train under the same coaches, namely Fernando Lopez.
Ngannou and Gane are former sparring partners. There are footages available on the internet where the duo can be seen training together at the MMA Factory training center.
After a few years, 'The Predator' left MMA Factory and moved to the United States. He then joined the Xtream Couture MMA training center.
Ngannou became the UFC heavyweight champion by claiming a second-round KO victory over Stipe Miocic in their rematch at UFC 260 on March 27, 2021.
'Bon Gamin' became the new UFC interim heavyweight champion by defeating Derrick Lewis via TKO in the third round at UFC 265 on August 7, 2021.
The two will now clash in a title unification bout on January 22, 2022, at UFC 270. Furthermore, Ngannou vs. Gane will serve as the main event.