Ciryl Gane rejects Khabib Nurmagomedov’s training offer: ‘I have another job, and that’s to be a father’
Heavyweight contender Ciryl Gane has respectfully declined Khabib Nurmagomedov’s offer to help him evolve his ground game after a less-than-stellar showing against Jon Jones earlier this year.
Gane’s lack of wrestling skills has arguably cost him the opportunity to become a UFC champion on two separate occasions. After coming up short against Francis Ngannou at UFC 270 last year, ‘Bon Gamin’ found himself with another opportunity to reach the top of the mountain in March, squaring off with Jon Jones for the vacant heavyweight crown. Fans were expecting a highly competitive contest between two of the sport’s greatest strikers. Instead, they were treated to a quick two-minute matchup that saw Jones easily take down and submit Gane.
The loss prompted one of the greatest grapplers in the history of the game, Khabib Nurmagomedov, to reach out and offer Gane some assistance in honing his skills on the mat. However, Gane can’t see himself venturing off to Russia for months at a time, leaving his family behind in the process.
“This is really kind of him, but I have another job, and that’s to be a father,” Gane told Mirror Fighting. “I have two daughters, and this is a big job. People underestimate this. To leave my family for six months for me impossible. Some people talk about one year and stuff like that. If I go for two or three weeks, my family misses me a lot. To bring some people to the gym, that is possible. Having those high-level guys in judo, wrestling, and boxing.”
Ciryl Gane’s Meteoric Rise Through the Ranks
Making his professional mixed martial arts debut in 2018, Ciryl Gane’s meteoric rise to the top of the ranks was largely due to his status as one of the most active fighters in the division. In the span of four years, ‘Bon Gamin’ has already competed under the UFC banner an astonishing 10 times, with his eleventh fight scheduled to arrive before the end of the year.
“Just four years ago, nobody knew me, and it was easy to sleep in the gym. Now it’s different. I’ve got a lot solicitation, so I must manage this also,” he added. “Like everyone in this sport, when you have success, you must prepare for life after your career. Just like Conor McGregor and Khabib have done, preparing for life after fighting. This makes sense because you cannot fight for 30 years. I was already in a rush when I started MMA. We did fight after fight, so that’s why my career has gone so fast also.”
Ciryl Gane will attempt to bounce back this September when the promotion returns to Paris. Standing in his way of a return to the win column will be streaking heavyweight standout Serghei Spivac. The Ukrainian ‘Polar Bear’ has earned three-straight knockouts against Greg Hardy, Augusto Sakai, and Derrick Lewis.
