Ahead of his return to the Octagon next month, former interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane spent some time sparring with NBA star Rudy Gobert.
It’s been over a year since ‘Bon Gamin’ earned a bounce-back victory over Serghei Spivac in his native Paris. On October 26, he’ll step back inside the cage for a scrap with Alexander Volkov when the promotion heads back to Abu Dhabi for UFC 308 at Etihad Arena.
Their scrap in the UAE will serve as a rematch of their 2021 meeting that saw Gane come out on top via unanimous decision in what would be his ninth-straight win at the time.
Since then, Gane has gone 3-2 inside the Octagon with losses against Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones in heavyweight title fights.
Ciryl Gane trades shots with three-time NBA All-Star
While training in France for his sequel with ‘Drago,’ Gane spent some time putting in work alongside Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert who also hails from The City of Light. Gane’s gym, MMA Factory X, shared the footage on social media.
Ciryl Gane sparring with Rudy Gobert
@mmafactory_fr #UFC #MMA #NBA pic.twitter.com/t3gASzuQB9
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 9, 2024
Hailing from Saint-Quentin, France, Gobert has won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award four times, tied for the most in NBA history with Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace. He is a four-time All-NBA Team member, a seven-time All-Defensive First Team member, and a three-time NBA All-Star.
