Ciryl Gane has admitted that the recently released footage from his past sparring session with Francis Ngannou made him look good and is not necessarily a representation of how their training scraps would go.
The UFC heavyweight champion took issue with the above sparring footage which he claimed had been “manipulated” to make him look bad.
In a recent interview with French media outlet La Sueur, Gane suggested that Ngannou’s issue with the leaked sparring footage was justified.
“It’s true that in that clip – I’m not going to lie – it was a soft sparring and I could confidently develop my game,” Gane said. “There were other sparring sessions where he [Francis Ngannou] had more the edge. One time it was me, one time it was him. To say that he was far ahead, no, it’s not necessarily true. But it’s true that this particular clip made me look good.”
Ciryl Gane Thinks Francis Ngannou Is The Strongest Fighter In UFC History
The former teammates turned enemies will unify the heavyweight division at UFC 270 on January 22.
Ahead of the eagerly anticipated match-up, Gane spoke about how he will approach fighting Ngannou who he rates as one of the best athletes the UFC has ever seen.
“You know we’re coming into this fight with our own strengths,” Gane explained. “We’re not here to try and counter his strengths. We don’t want to try and be stronger than him. Till today, I’ve never seen anyone as powerful, as athletic, [and] with such knockout power. I’ve never seen it. In terms of strength, Francis might be the most impressive guy in UFC history. I’m not going to try to become stronger than him in three months. It wouldn’t make sense.” (Transcribed by Sportskeeda)
Who do you think will win the heavyweight unification fight at UFC 270? Francis Ngannou or Ciryl Gane?