Covington Backs “Efficient” Gane To Show Ngannou’s Quit At UFC 270

UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington has given his prediction for the upcoming UFC 270 heavyweight main event between Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane.

Covington, who knows a thing or two about championship headliners, will no doubt be watching…

Colby Covington, Ciryl Gane, Francis Ngannou

UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington has given his prediction for the upcoming UFC 270 heavyweight main event between Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane.

Covington, who knows a thing or two about championship headliners, will no doubt be watching intently like the rest of the MMA community when two of the world’s best heavyweights meet inside the Octagon. The collision is fueled by gym drama, a contractual dispute, and a clash of styles.

Ngannou, the reigning champion, will be defending his gold for the first time on January 22. He won the belt in a rematch with Stipe Miocic last March. However, he’s been on the sidelines ever since, embroiled in a public feud with the UFC over his treatment and current deal.

While “The Predator” has been occupied by matters away from the cage, Gane has been climbing the ranks and putting himself in position to dethrone his former MMA factory teammate. With three main event wins in 2021, “Bon Gamin” extended his unblemished record to 10-0 and had interim gold wrapped around his waist as an unbeaten fighter.

Covington: Gane Will Wear Ngannou Down

The first pay-per-view main event of 2022 will pit together the classic heavyweight style versus the new breed. The question is, can Ngannou’s immense power get the better of Gane’s technical skill and hit and not be hit mindset? Colby “Chaos” Covington has provided his answer.

Speaking to combat sports journalist Helen Yee, the former interim welterweight titleholder suggested Gane will be able to use his footwork and efficient style to tire out “The Predator,” who will no doubt be looking to wind up for a big KO shot throughout.

“That’s a tough one (to predict). I think Ciryl will get him. I think that his footwork and the way he moves around, kickboxes, and he’s really efficient with his energy. He’s not like, looking to load up and knock you out like Francis is. I think he’ll wear Francis out.”

Covington also cited Ngannou’s loss to Miocic at UFC 220 in 2018 as evidence the champ has quit in him, something he believes “Bon Gamin” will show come January 22.

“We’ve seen in the past that Francis has that quit in him. The first Stipe fight he had a lot of quit in him, and he put his head down and you could just see he gassed out. All that muscle, you need a lot of oxygen to get to that muscle. My official prediction, I think Gane gets the heavyweight title.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CUDHthMsRuP/

Having already joined the likes of Cain Velasquez, Israel Adesanya, and Khabib Nurmagomedov in the elite club of undefeated titleholders, Gane will look to go one step further later this month by becoming the first French-born undisputed champion in UFC history.

Do you agree with Colby Covington’s prediction for Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane?

Continue Reading Covington Backs “Efficient” Gane To Show Ngannou’s Quit At UFC 270 at MMA News.

Ciryl Gane Assures It Isn’t Personal Between Him And Francis Ngannou

UFC interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane says despite the tense UFC 270 buildup, he doesn’t have anything against Francis Ngannou.

Gane is set to face Ngannou in arguably the best heavyweight fight in UFC history at UFC 270. He earned the interi…

Ciryl Gane, Francis Ngannou

UFC interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane says despite the tense UFC 270 buildup, he doesn’t have anything against Francis Ngannou.

Gane is set to face Ngannou in arguably the best heavyweight fight in UFC history at UFC 270. He earned the interim title at UFC 265 over Derrick Lewis in a dominant performance.

During a recent interview with TMZ Sports, Gane shared his thoughts on Ngannou as a person after things have become tense leading up to the event.

“We’ll shake hands before, during, and after the fight,” Gane said. “I have nothing against him. He’s just my opponent, I have no deal with him. Just an opponent, that’s it.”

Ciryl Gane’s Coach Has The Most Beef With Francis Ngannou

Gane and Ngannou used to train together at MMA Factory in France, and leaked sparring footage is part of what has caused a rift between Ngannou and his former coach, Fernand Lopez. In a variety of interviews, Lopez has attacked Ngannou’s character and added more spice to the buildup.

Ngannou has gone on the record saying he has no relationship with his former coach after allegedly being close for years. Lopez went as far as calling Ngannou a “f**king liar” over his denial of alleged Gane sabotage.

The speculation in regards to Ngannou and Lopez’s relationship began after the two sides had an awkward run-in backstage at UFC 268. While Ngannou and Gane have each denied that this fight isn’t personal for them, it’s hard to doubt that there won’t be a bit of extra motivation for each man to get their hand raised.

What is your prediction for Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane?

Continue Reading Ciryl Gane Assures It Isn’t Personal Between Him And Francis Ngannou at MMA News.

Ciryl Gane Assures It Isn’t Personal Between Him And Francis Ngannou

UFC interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane says despite the tense UFC 270 buildup, he doesn’t have anything against Francis Ngannou.

Gane is set to face Ngannou in arguably the best heavyweight fight in UFC history at UFC 270. He earned the interi…

Ciryl Gane, Francis Ngannou

UFC interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane says despite the tense UFC 270 buildup, he doesn’t have anything against Francis Ngannou.

Gane is set to face Ngannou in arguably the best heavyweight fight in UFC history at UFC 270. He earned the interim title at UFC 265 over Derrick Lewis in a dominant performance.

During a recent interview with TMZ Sports, Gane shared his thoughts on Ngannou as a person after things have become tense leading up to the event.

“We’ll shake hands before, during, and after the fight,” Gane said. “I have nothing against him. He’s just my opponent, I have no deal with him. Just an opponent, that’s it.”

Ciryl Gane’s Coach Has The Most Beef With Francis Ngannou

Gane and Ngannou used to train together at MMA Factory in France, and leaked sparring footage is part of what has caused a rift between Ngannou and his former coach, Fernand Lopez. In a variety of interviews, Lopez has attacked Ngannou’s character and added more spice to the buildup.

Ngannou has gone on the record saying he has no relationship with his former coach after allegedly being close for years. Lopez went as far as calling Ngannou a “f**king liar” over his denial of alleged Gane sabotage.

The speculation in regards to Ngannou and Lopez’s relationship began after the two sides had an awkward run-in backstage at UFC 268. While Ngannou and Gane have each denied that this fight isn’t personal for them, it’s hard to doubt that there won’t be a bit of extra motivation for each man to get their hand raised.

What is your prediction for Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane?

Continue Reading Ciryl Gane Assures It Isn’t Personal Between Him And Francis Ngannou at MMA News.

Francis Ngannou Says Therapist Warned Him About Fernand Lopez Years Ago

Francis Ngannou has known that his ex-coach would be a problem for years.

Francis Ngannou is getting ready to defend his heavyweight belt for the very first time this Saturday at UFC 270. He will be facing off against interim champion Ciryl Gane. …

Francis Ngannou Ciryl Gane Fernando Lopez

Francis Ngannou has known that his ex-coach would be a problem for years.

Francis Ngannou is getting ready to defend his heavyweight belt for the very first time this Saturday at UFC 270. He will be facing off against interim champion Ciryl Gane. Ngannou and Gane have a common bond. They used to be training partners, and Gane is still coached by Ngannou’s former head coach Fernand Lopez.

In the leadup to this fight, Lopez has been trying everything he can think of to get in the head of Ngannou. There has been some drama between Lopez and his former student. Ngannou isn’t all that surprised by this tactic taken by Lopez and says he knew that it would be a problem back a few years ago.

“I won’t say I’m surprised knowing the person (Lopez). I always knew that something like this could come from him,” Ngannou said in an interview with UFC’s Megan Olivi. “I was in Paris two years ago after the Derrick Lewis fight, and I was dealing with some personal stuff on my end.

Francis Ngannou Fernand Lopez
(via Francis Ngannou’s social media)

“I was so in the bad place that I decided to see a psychiatrist. If you look at the psychiatrist’s notes, it’s funny because even two years ago she pointed out Fernand as a problem and to watch out. I thought she was like, crazy. She started to break it down and put it on the note. Now I think she was all right.”

Ngannou has had to deal with a lot leading up to this fight. He has been having some negotiation problems with the UFC and could be getting ready to leave the organization. Add in all the trouble he has had to deal with from Lopez, including threatening to leak a sparring video of him and Gane sparring.

Ngannou might not only be fighting for his UFC belt on Jan. 22 but also perhaps his peace of mind. He will be looking to put Gane, Lopez, and possibly the UFC behind him.

What do you think of a therapist warning Ngannou to watch out for Lopez?

Continue Reading Francis Ngannou Says Therapist Warned Him About Fernand Lopez Years Ago at MMA News.

Francis Ngannou Doubts The Tyson Fury Fight Will Happen This Year

Francis NgannouUFC Heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou doesn’t believe the crossover between him and boxing superstar Tyson Fury will take place anytime soon. Ngannou believes that the fight will take place sometime in the future, but not in 2022. Fury had proposed that the two fight under boxing rules, but with MMA style gloves. It seems as […]

Francis Ngannou

UFC Heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou doesn’t believe the crossover between him and boxing superstar Tyson Fury will take place anytime soon.

Ngannou believes that the fight will take place sometime in the future, but not in 2022. Fury had proposed that the two fight under boxing rules, but with MMA style gloves. It seems as if the boxer vs MMA fighter will not stop anytime soon. This would by far be the biggest fight between the two styles since the Conor McGregor – Floyd Mayweather fight back in 2017. That fight opened the floodgates to have boxers and MMA fighters meet up in the squared circle (or even most recently in a triangle) and go at it.

Ngannou believes that he may be able to bring a lot to the table that Fury’s opponents have not with his power and speed.

“Me and Tyson Fury may fight in 2023. It will be challenging, but I will throw some bombs at him that he will not have experienced before,” Ngannou told Stake. “I don’t know exactly when Tyson and I will fight. But I think maybe sometime in 2023. I am still under contract with UFC, so I don’t know right now the state of my situation or how it will play out. But I will say it will probably happen at some point. I definitely want to do it, but we don’t have control over it right now. I know it will be very tough when we fight. Not only am I coming from a distant sport, but I am testing myself against one of the best, if not the best, boxer ever.” (Transcribed by Mirror)

Francis Ngannou will defend his title for the first time at UFC 270 against former training partner, Ciryl Gane

Ngannou will be making his first title defense since he knocked out Stipe Miocic back in March of 2021. Since that time, Gane had beaten Derrick Lewis for the interim championship. Gane sports a perfect 10-0 record inside the octagon, and is one of the more complete fighters in the heavyweight division. He will be Ngannou’s biggest threat as he is the most technical striker he has ever fought.

Although Ngannou is looking forward to a fight with Fury, he should not take this next fight against Gane too lightly. We have seen many fighters overlook their opponents when looking forward to the future “bigger fights”.

Are you excited for a Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou match?

Dana White Explains Why Ngannou/Gane May Be Best HW Fight Ever

UFC President Dana White is big on the promotion’s upcoming heavyweight title fight.

White recently had high praise for the UFC 270 bout between UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou and interim champ Ciryl Gane. In an interview with BT Sport, W…

Francis Ngannou, Ciryl Gane

UFC President Dana White is big on the promotion’s upcoming heavyweight title fight.

White recently had high praise for the UFC 270 bout between UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou and interim champ Ciryl Gane. In an interview with BT Sport, White gave his pitch for why the title unification bout could be one of the greatest heavyweight bouts of all time.

White cited the high level of the fight and the storylines behind it as reasons for why people should pay attention.

“That fight’s ridiculous—one of the best if not the best heavyweight matchup ever. You got two guys that train together, two guys that had a falling out now and don’t like each other,” said White. “One guy has unbelievable knockout power and the other guy moves around like a middleweight, probably the best technical striker in heavyweight history. So I mean, you couldn’t ask for a better matchup.”

White: This Fight Has ‘Bad Blood’

Francis Ngannou, Dana White
Francis Ngannou, Dana White

As White said, there is seemingly a real rivalry between Ngannou and Gane heading into this fight. Controversy struck last month, as old sparring footage of them was released by Gane’s camp. Ngannou argued the footage was used to make Gane look good before their fight, potentially playing mind games with the champ and the public as a whole.

Gane will enter the fight with an undefeated record of 10 wins, including seven in the UFC cage. Ngannou will be fighting to defend his title for the first time in the bout. He first gained the championship last year, stopping Stipe Miocic with a brutal second-round knockout.

White feels that the stars have aligned perfectly for the upcoming heavyweight title fight.

“They’re both champions. You got one (who) has the interim title; the other one has the title. Everything’s on the line—and how in-depth the bad blood is between the camp. You just couldn’t write a better story than this.”

Do you agree with Dana White? Does this fight have the potential to be one of the greatest heavyweight bouts of all time?

Continue Reading Dana White Explains Why Ngannou/Gane May Be Best HW Fight Ever at MMA News.