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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – JUNE 29: Francis Ngannou of Cameroon is interviewed after defeating Junior Dos Santos of Brazil by TKO in their heavyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at the Target Center on June 29, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – JUNE 29: Francis Ngannou of Cameroon is interviewed after defeating Junior Dos Santos of Brazil by TKO in their heavyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at the Target Center on June 29, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is gearing up for his first title defense that is set to go down at UFC 270. ‘The Predator’ will face-off against undefeated interim titleholder, Ciryl Gane, who also happens to be his former teammate. The aforementioned unification bout will kick off the pay-per-view cycle for the year and fans can’t wait to see the two giants collide.
Gane earned his spot by securing the interim title at UFC 265 by stopping everyone’s favorite knockout artist, Derrick Lewis. Gane used precision striking and footwork to definitively become the next contender in line. Chiefly, Gane has been criticized in the past for his fighting style as it is extremely technical, especially for a heavyweight.
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – FEBRUARY 27: (L-R) Ciryl Gane of France punches Jairzinho Rozenstruik of Suriname in a heavyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on February 27, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
This criticism came to a head when he faced Jairzinho Rozenstruik in the early portion of the year. ‘Bon Gamin’ outpointed Rozenstruik effectively, but failed to impress both the masses and UFC President Dana White with his performance. However, he made short work of Lewis and showed that he was capable of pulling the trigger at will.
Also Read: Francis Ngannou Explains Why Ciryl Gane Has Not Yet Lost a Fight in the UFC
Francis Ngannou on his upcoming title fight
Ngannou weighed in on Ciryl Gane’s fighting style and commented on the way Gane will try to secure the win. According to ‘The Predator’, Ciryl Gane is going to chase a decision and fight from the outside. He told MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn that he won’t be engaging in a slow scrap and will look to land a concussive blow.
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JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – MAY 09: Francis Ngannou of Cameroon prepares to fight Jairzinho Rozenstruik of Suriname in their heavyweight fight during the UFC 249 event at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on May 09, 2020 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
“That’s probably his prediction because he has nowhere else to go he has nothing else to do instead of like expecting to jump around and waiting for a decision like I’m sure it’s going to be like ‘Oh, we’re going to take him in a long run and deep water’. That’s going to be his only prediction. Which is very contrary of my prediction which is like knocking him out you know.”
Fight night at UFC 270 will be extremely revealing as Ngannou faces one of his toughest tests to date. Many consider Gane to be the future of the heavyweight division and it is up to Ngannou to put an end to that narrative.
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