Ciryl Gane is one fight away from a title shot against reigning heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. What’s surprising is that Gane and Ngannou are former training partners. This delicious fact makes the eventual match-up even more exciting. Both fighters shared the same MMA gym for a considerable amount of time until Ngannou parted ways with the MMA factory.

Interestingly enough, MMA fans can now have a look at a few clips of both the heavyweights going at it in a sparring session ahead of Ngannou’s matchup with Alistair Overeem in 2017.

Ciryl Gane, who wasn’t in the UFC, can be seen giving Ngannou some good work on the feet. However, Gane seems to be the more agile and mobile fighter. Another point worth noting is that Gane enjoys a slight height advantage over the Predator. This makes his presence as commanding, if not more than Ngannou’s.

However, there is a limit to the assumptions we can make from these four-year-old clips. Both fighters have come a long way over the years. Ngannou suffered a devastating loss to Stipe Miocic and eventually worked his way back the ladder to become champion. Ciryl Gane has rocketed through the rankings to become one of the top contenders ever since joining the UFC in 2019.

Fans can certainly expect fireworks whenever these two elite heavyweights go against each other. But, for now, Gane will look to pick up a dominant victory over Derrick Lewis this weekend at UFC 265.

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Ciryl Gane: The evolution of MMA at heavyweight

Holding an unbeaten record of 13-0 in Muay Thai, Ciryl Gane made his MMA debut back in 2018 in Montreal, Canada. Just three fights into his MMA career, and the Frenchman was signing a contract with the UFC.  

Since then, Bon Gamin is on a six-fight win streak, with wins over former champion Junior dos Santos and most recently over Alexander Volkov. While many have been critical of Gane’s style, labeling him a decision fighter, others see his movement and control in the octagon as the beginning of a new breed of heavyweight fighters.

Ciryl Gane has knockout power, however, the 31-year-old prefers to stay at range and pick his opponents apart. His fight IQ, coupled with the ability to move like a light-heavyweight, allows him to be extremely elusive.

Undoubtedly, one of the most technical fighters in the division, Gane has a dazzling future in the UFC. Come Saturday night, Gane will look to keep his undefeated record intact by securing the win against Derrick Lewis.

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