Ciryl Gane: UFC Champion Francis Ngannou ‘Final Boss’

Interim UFC heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane is ready for the final battle.

Gane will meet Francis Ngannou later this month at UFC 270 to unify the titles. 

For Gane, this is the last obstacle to overcome, as he told The MMA Hour recently.

“The champion is a really great fighter, who has a lot of strength, and this is the final boss to my video game,” Gane said. “But like every time, if I make a mistake, it’s going to be OK.

“If I lose, I’m really OK with that. Like every fight in my career went like that. But at this time, yes, I want to do the last step. 

“That’s why it’s a little bit different.”

Gane, a 31-year-old, has yet to taste defeat in his mixed martial arts career. He is a perfect 10-0, including an August finish of Derrick Lewis to claim the interim belt.

Along with the win over Lewis, Gane has also bested Alexander Volkov, Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Junior dos Santos inside the Octagon. He owns four knockout and three more submission wins to his credit.

There is also a little bad blood between the two heavyweights.

Gane and Ngannou had a brief backstage incident at UFC 268 last year. 

“This is wrong,” Gane said. “For me, it was wrong. That’s it.”

Gane’s coach, Fernand Lopez, previously trained both fighters at the MMA Factory in Paris. The matter also involved Nassourdine Imamov. 

Imamov had just scored a win at the event. 

“That’s why it was a little bit shame,” Gane said. “That’s why it was a little bit wrong for me.”