Fighter Profile: Ciryl Gane

Ciryl Gane not surprised he opened as betting favorite over Francis Ngannou

Ciryl Gane has had a quick rise to the top in MMA. The former Muay Thai fighter has only been fighting MMA since 2018 an amazing feat considering he is now the interim UFC Heavyweight Champion and will be fighting in a title unification bout against current Heavyweight Champion, Francis Ngannou at UFC 270 on Saturday January 22nd 2022 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. What Makes it more interesting is that Gane and Ngannou were training partners in France. Add to that Gane is undefeated in all of his fights, Gane has never lost an MMA bout or a Muay Thai fight.

Gane was born on April 12, 1990 in La Roche-sur-Yon, France. Gane is of Guadeloupean descent on his father’s side. His father was an athlete who played soccer, Gane followed suit and played soccer and basketball. Eventually Gane took up Muay Thai and found that he had talent in the sport. Eventually he took a pro fight against Jérémy Jeanne for the Hurricane Fighting 3 promotion, he’d win by TKO. Gane won six more fights before transitioning to MMA in the summer of 2018.

Gane showed amazing skill on his feet early in his MMA career, but also has submission skill that would come into play in his first fight against Bobby Sullivan who he beat by with a Front Choke, winning him the vacant TKO promotion’s Heavyweight Championship. He’d defend that title two times, the first against Adam Dyczka by TKO (punches) in September of 2018. He’d then face Roggers Souza and would again win by TKO (punches) in the first round. Gane’s quick dominance caught the attention of the UFC.

Gane would make his UFC debut against Raphael Pessoa and would win via Submission (arm-triangle choke.) He’d then face Don’Tale Mayes and secured the win via Submission (heel hook.) Gane would then face Tanner Boser and would win via Unanimous Decision. He’d then face Junior dos Santos, and win via TKO. Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Alexander Volkov would be next for Gane and he would win both fights by Unanimous Decision. Gane would then face Derrick Lewis for the Interim Heavyweight UFC belt Gane would win by TKO (Punches) in round three.

Gane will be fighting in a title unification bout against current Heavyweight Champion, Francis Ngannou at UFC 270 on Saturday January 22nd 2022. It’ll be interesting to see which of these training partners comes out on top.

What’s next for Derrick ‘The Black Beast’ Lewis?

Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis broke the UFC Knockout record on Saturday night in Las Vegas when he faced former Philadelphia Police officer Chris Daukas. Lewis is a fierce opponent and we think that there are many potential options for Lewis who is ranked third in the UFC Heavyweight division. The first would be a match up with Stipe Miocic. The next fight I think people would love to see would be a matchup with Jairzinho Rozenstruik. The final matchup that I think makes sense is the Winner of Francis Ngannou vs. Cyril Gane.

Stipe Miocic has been out of action since March of 2021. The Firefighter turned Heavyweight GOAT has had a busy year welcoming the birth of his son, Mateo. Miocic and Lewis have never faced off against each other which is what makes this match up so intriguing. Lewis has the clear weight advantage, as he walks around at 290 and cuts down to the Heavyweight Limit. Stipe walks around anywhere from between 235 pounds to 242 pounds. We don’t know how much of a disadvantage Miocic faced when he walked into the cage 30 pounds lighter than Ngannou, but it probably played a part in it. This seems like it’d be a great fight that the UFC brass would love to put on.

One clear option would be the winner of the Heavyweight title unification bout between Ngannou and Gane. I think the UFC would likely rather put on a rematch between Ngannou and Lewis before they put on a rematch between Gane and Lewis who just fought for the Interim belt at UFC 265. One variable is the fact that Ngannou is on the last fight of his UFC deal and Dana White and Ngannou have been trading verbal blows to each other via the MMA media with White going as far as to say ‘If you don’t want to be with us, no problem.’ A clear message to the undisputed Heavyweight Champion. I think the fans would love to see the rematch between Lewis and Ngannou.

A fight I’d like to see Lewis in is a fight with Rozenstruik. Rozenstruik is currently ranked sixth in the division and this is definitely a fight that would be in Lewis’ wheelhouse of three round bouts. Rozenstruik has a record of 12-3 and his only losses were to Curtis Blaydes, Interim Champion Gane, and current Champion Ngannou. Needless to say this would be an interesting fight with Lewis’ striking and Rozenstruik’s striking being at the forefront of the bout.

Lewis is a fan favorite and he moves the Needle like no one else in the sport. He can Knockout just about anyone, and is just an overall great personality for the sport. He also shows that redemption is possible even when you think there’s no way to turn your life around. We look forward to seeing who Lewis faces or Knocks out next.

5 Fights The UFC Should Book In 2022

Nate Diaz lands a shot at Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor Vs. Nate Diaz III

McGregor just finished his trilogy with Dustin Poirier with two losses to Poirier the last being in July at UFC 264, but the UFC star also has another Trilogy that hasn’t seen it’s final act and that is with Nate DIaz. These two fighters have met twice already and are even with a win apiece. They are both coming off consecutive losses with Diaz losing to Leon Edwards at UFC 263 in June and before that a loss to Jorge Masvidal in November of 2019. This would not likely be until late 2022 with McGregor coming off the injury he sustained in his loss to Dustin Poirier.

Stipe Miocic vs Derrick Lewis

Both of these fighters are coming off losses in championship bouts. Miocic lost his belt in March to current UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou. Lewis is coming off a loss to Ciryl Gane at UFC 265 in August where he went toe to toe with the Division’s current Interim Champion. There is an interesting weight discrepancy between the two with Stipe currently weighing in at 234 and Lewis weighing in at the division maximum of 265. On Joe Rogan’s MMA Podcast Lewis reveals that he walks around at about 290 making Lewis the bigger fighter by a mile. Stipe is the greatest heavyweight of all time however so don’t count him out.

Mackenzie Dern Vs Claudia Gadelha

Mackenzie Dern just fought on Saturday night so it might be too soon to talk about her fighting again. Dern of course lost, but after the fight Claudia Gadelha went on her instagram to call out Dern. It’d be an interesting grappler vs. grappler matchup with both of these Black Belts having grappling prowess. Dern is coming off only her second loss in her MMA career and will look to be back in the win column in her next fight. Gadelha is also coming off a loss in her last fight which was in November of 2020. Gadelha was just cleared by the UFC physicians to compete after her injury. Gahdelha was the first strawweight to ever win in the UFC Octagon, and has since fought for the title against Joanna Jędrzejczyk. This would be a very good matchup for the two Brazilians Strawweights.

Henry Cejudo Vs. Alexander Volkanovski

Henry Cejudo has gone completely out of his way to tell anyone and their mother how much he wants a shot at Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski over the last year. Volkanovski is coming off an impressive win against Brian Ortega at UFC 266 in September. Cejudo started campaigning again to get a title shot after Volkanovski won in September. If Cejudo were to win against Volkanovski this would be his third title in as many divisions with belts in the Flyweight and Bantamweight division already on his resume.

Jon Jones Vs. Anyone in The Heavyweight Division

At this point it’s getting pretty apparent that the greatest MMA fighter of all time will not be fighting anytime soon. After a recent arrest Jon Jones’ future with the promotion looks questionable whether it be another suspension or Jones being cut from the promotion altogether. Jones being cut seems unlikely as the UFC would probably like to control Jones’ contract as he’s one of the promotion’s biggest stars. It is Rumored that Jones was offered a fight with the UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou but the money wasn’t right. After talks for that fight fizzled out it was rumored that Jones was offered a fight with former Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic but wasn’t interested in that fight either. Hopefully Jones figures out what he’s interested in. Possibly another title fight offer is in Jones’ future to fight the winner of Ngannou and Ciryl Gane at UFC 270.

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Title Unification Bout Between Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou and Interim Champion Ciryl Gane Announced For UFC 270

Francis Ngannou after defeating Stipe Miocic in March of 2021 via KO (Punch)
Credit: Getty/UFC

Francis Ngannou has been waiting to defend his title, and after bickering and rumblings on Twitter about a possible fight with Jon Jones. It’s now been announced that Ngannou will be facing Interim Heavyweight Champion Ciryl Gane in a five round title unification bout at UFC 270 . The two fighters are quite familiar with each other as they use to be training partners in France

Ngannou Is coming off his first title win against former two time UFC Heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. Ngannou is on a five fight win streak all of which have come by knockout. Ngannou packs a powerful punch that is equivalent to being hit by a Ford Escort. Ngannou has an amazing story of perseverance and what you can achieve if you keep on trying from being a child laborer in a sand mine in his nativer Cameroon to Heavyweight Champion of the world.

Gane is undefeated and is coming off another win against Derrick Lewis at UFC 265 in August for The UFC Interim heavyweight title. Gane who only started his MMA career 3 years ago has a meteoric rise.

It is rumored that Israel Adesanya will also be defending his title at UFC 270. It is not known where UFC 270 will be held.

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WHAT’S NEXT FOR JON JONES?

Jon Jones flexes at a weigh in ahead of UFC 235. Photo courtesy of Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

2020 was an odd year for the UFC. It started off completely normal with cards including the promotion’s top stars. During this normal stretch we got to see Jon Jones fight at UFC 247 in February where he defeated Dominick Reyes by unanimous decision. Then the pandemic hit, and sports as a whole shut down. We haven’t seen Jones fight since. No weird PPV’s at the UFC Apex or bouts at Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.Then there were the rumors of him bulking up to move up to the heavyweight division that were later confirmed by his instagram. So what’s next for Jon Jones?

If you follow the MMA press core you’ll see that MMA journalists love to ask other fighters their opinion on Jon Jones. Recently Israel Adesanya responded by saying “I don’t think we’re ever going to see Jon Jones fight at heavyweight,” he added “F*ck, he’s been saying this since 2013. You either get it done or you don’t.” Adesanya asked if he’d ever consider fighting Jones at 205 which he said he was considering at the tail end of his career if it was ever offered.

Adesanya who made the jump to Light Heavyweight in March went on to say “For me, I jumped up [a division] within three years of [being with] the company. I jumped into the division ahead of me. The guys up there respect me — even the champion up there gave me my props. So yeah, I just think it’s not something that anyone can do. And he’s getting fat for no reason now.” harsh words from the middleweight champion. But this verbal sparring just makes the question what is next for Jones even more interesting.

Dana White has offered Jones multiple different fights including former Heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. Jones basically told the UFC he was not interested in fighting Stipe. White says he thinks Jones will fight again in 2022. Possibly against the winner of the title unification bout between current Heavyweight Champion, Francis Ngannou and Interim Champion, Ciryl Gane.

White and Jones went at each other exchanging verbal barbs when Ngannou first won the UFC Heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic in March of 2021 at UFC 260 implying that Jones was scared to face Ngannou at Heavyweight.

The truth remains to be seen, but hopefully Jones fights again soon. Jones is the Babe Ruth of MMA so it’d be good to see him add more fights to his resume. It would also be great to see him win a title at Heavyweight. You’d hate to see the greatest of all time suffer from the effects of ring rust.

Update 9/25: Jones was arrested hours after getting inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. Jones 34, faces misdemeanor domestic battery and a felony vehicle damage charge. Jones has posted bail and will make a court appearance on October 26th.

UFC president Dana White said of the incident “It’s hard to bring this guy to Las Vegas for any reason. This city is not good for Jon Jones. And here we are again, It’s like it’s not even shocking anymore. When we bring him here, it’s almost expected. Can’t even get him into Las Vegas for less than 12 hours to induct him into the Hall of Fame. It’s a problem. This guy’s got a lot of demons, man – a lot of demons.”

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FIGHTER PROFILE: STIPE MIOCIC

UFC 252 Stats And Video Highlights: Stipe Miocic Defeats Daniel Cormier

Stipe Miocic has been one of the most inspiring fighters to watch in recent memory, because even while being the best Heavyweight UFC fighter of all time he still wakes up in the morning and works a 9-5 job as a firefighter. The man has a full plate, along with being one of the top fighters and a firefighter the man also makes time for a podcast and raising his children including the recent new member of the Miocic clan, Mateo Miocic who he and his wife, Ryan introduced to the world last month.

Miocic was born on August 19, 1982 in Euclid, OH to his parents who were both Croatian immigrants. Miocic’s mother was very supportive of her son and encouraged young Stipe to play sports. Miocic played many sports in high school including baseball and football. Miocic also wrestled while at Eastlake North High School. After High School Miocic attended Cleveland State University and Trevecca Nazarene University where he played baseball, and got some interest from major league organizations. Mioicic eventually graduated with a major in marketing and communication.

In 2005 Miocic was a training partner for MMA fighter Dan Bobbish as Miocic was a division one wrestler. Miocic started training MMA in Independence, OH out of Strong Style MMA Training Centre. Miocic started boxing and switched to the sport and accelerated in the sport becoming the Cleveland Golden Gloves Boxing champion. Miocic was said to be very skilled, and beat many more experienced boxers regularly.

Miocic eventually switched back to MMA where he made a strong showing winning his first six fights by knockout. He eventually won the NAAFS Heavyweight Championship. This caught the attention of The UFC and in June of 2011 Miocic signed a contract with the UFC Brass. Miocic made his UFC debut at UFC 136 in October of 201. Miocic won via unanimous decision, Miocic would continue to grow as a fighter, and would eventually get a title shot in 2016 five years into his UFC career. He took his shot at UFC 198 where he went up against UFC Heavyweight champion, Fabricio Verdum. Miocic would go on to defend his title four times over two different stints as UFC heavyweight champion.

Most recently Miocic stepped into the octagon against Francis Ngannou. Even though Miocic lost his title to Ngannou he displayed an amazing chin taking shots that would knockout a lesser fighter. It is not known who Miocic will face next in the UFC. Currently Miocic is ranked second in the UFC heavyweight division. And eighth in the UFC pound for pound rankings. It is rumored that Miocic was offered a fight against Jon Jones, and feels like he was snubbed for the interim title fight.

Hopefully Miocic fights again soon because whenever he walks into the octagon he puts on a show. Miocic shows every fan of fighting that when you put in your work, whether it be at the firehouse or in the cage you can achieve great things.