Ciryl Gane Unsurprised By Francis Ngannou Grappling, Wants Future Rematch
Former interim UFC heavyweight champion, Ciryl Gane has claimed that he was not surprised with Francis Ngannou’s decision to wrestle and grapple with him at UFC 270 last night. And wants to secure a rematch with the Batie native in the future.
Gane, who suffered his first professional mixed martial arts loss in the main event of UFC 270, found himself on the receiving end of a unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) defeat against Ngannou – with the latter choosing to employ a quite surprising grappling and wrestling-heavy approach.
Ciryl Gane saw his seven-fight undefeated streak in the UFC halted by Francis Ngannou
From the third round onward, Ngannou managed to secure a total of four successful takedowns against Gane, who had found himself facing up from the canvas for the first time in his Octagon tenure.
Speculation mounted early during Ngannou’s walk to the Octagon that he was dealing with a knee injury, after he entered the Octagon sporting compression supports on both knees, with many also questioning if he was preparing to wrestle and grapple with Gane.
One person who appeared more than expecting of Ngannou’s wrestling was Gane himself, who insisted he was unsurprised by the offence he found himself on the receiving end of.
“It (the wrestling) was not a surprise,” Ciryl Gane told media backstage at the UFC 270 post-fight press conference. “We (MMA Factory Paris) knew already it was one of his (Francis Ngannou) biggest chances to win some rounds. He did it and he did it very well, so good job. … We knew it already it was the biggest chance he had.”
“He really didn’t surprise me in the striking, the Muay Thai, the wrestling,” Ciryl Gane continued. “The wrestling was not really great wrestling. It was more about the power. I was not really surprised about all of that, but he did well. He did well.”
Eager to land a rematch with the now-undisputed heavyweight champion, Gane hopes Ngannou remains under the UFC’s banner in order to score a second fight with him.
“This is a reality,” Ciryl Gane said. “This is hurting me a lot but this is the truth. I hope tomorrow I’m going to improve. I’m going to do more to be a better version of myself. … If he leaves like that, I won’t want that. I want my rematch. I want to do this fight a second time. I want this fight. I want this rematch.” (Transcribed by MMA Junkie)
