Ciryl Gane is already lined up to face Francis Ngannou for the undisputed UFC heavyweight title his next time out, but “Bon Gamin” is also trying to bring the fight back to his home country of France.
Gane, who smashed Derrick Lewis at UFC 265 to claim the interim heavyweight strap (watch it HERE), has decimated the competition since his Octagon arrival back in 2019. The French fighter has produced a 7-0 record as a member of the UFC roster while displaying some of the most patient and tactical striking we’ve ever seen at the heavyweight level.
Now Gane has to prepare to match up with his former training partner in Ngannou, who crushed Stipe Miocic to win the heavyweight title this past March. It’s a bout that fight fans want to see and that UFC president Dana White is practically salivating over.
While the title unification bout has some details to iron out Gane is hoping to lock horns with “Predator” sometime at the end of the year or the beginning of 2022. The kicker is “Bon Gamin” wants the heavyweight matchup to take place on French soil.
“I’m going to rest a little bit because I started to prepare for camp in July of last year. Since then, I have continued every week to prepare a new fight, just fight-after-fight-after-fight,” Gane told BJPENN.com. “I just want to rest a little bit and I have my wife due soon with my daughter. It complicates training camp a little bit but maybe the end of this year or the beginning of 2022. If it’s possible in France as well.”
There’s a really good chance UFC is able to work through current contract issues with Ngannou and book this fight before the end of the year, but it’s highly unlikely that it takes place in France. The infrastructure isn’t completely there to stage a fight in France at this very moment and UFC usually likes to host its heavyweight title fights in Las Vegas. It’s a longshot, but Gane is still holding out hope.
“For the first UFC event in Paris, France it will be a success for sure,” Gane said. “It will be really great.”
What do you think, fight fans? Will we see Ngannou vs. Gane by the end of 2021? Any chance it happens in France?
Sound off!