Derrick Lewis on Ciryl Gane Faceoff: “I’m Gonna Bang His Ass Up”
UFC heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis isn’t playing games ahead of his interim title bout with Ciryl Gane, and the two nearly got into it during their faceoff at the UFC 265 ceremonial weigh-ins in Houston.
Lewis and Gane will square off in the UFC 265 main event for a shot at the interim title after the UFC and heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou couldn’t come to terms with making his first title defense for the scheduled pay-per-view. This is Lewis’ second shot at a UFC belt, and the first for Gane after making the transition from Muay Thai to MMA just two years ago.
After a heated faceoff that nearly got physical, Lewis kept it short and brief when describing his game plan for Gane at UFC 265.
“I’m gonna bang his ass up,” Lewis said during his weigh-in interview with Jon Anik.
There isn’t any apparent beef between Lewis and Gane, but the always-intense Lewis is definitely creating more buzz surrounding the interim title matchup at UFC 265. Lewis has been on a roll since his loss to Daniel Cormier in his first title shot, earning four straight wins including a vicious knockout of Curtis Blaydes earlier this year.
Gane enters UFC 265 with an undefeated record in MMA, which has included dominant victories over heavyweight mainstays Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Alexander Volkov. He made a name for himself after knocking out Junior dos Santos at UFC 256 late last year.
The winner of the interim title bout will unify the belt with Ngannou at a later date, possibly later this year or early 2022. It is a very intriguing heavyweight title conversation that includes former champion Stipe Miocic, former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and others throughout the Top-10 rankings.
What is your prediction for Derrick Lewis vs. Ciryl Gane?
