UFC heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou is officially the hardest puncher in the world. Interim champ Ciryl Gane isn’t worried about it. The two are set to clash at UFC 270 next year, when the winner of the fight will unify the UFC heavyweight title. Cyril Gane told Submission Radio that he doesn’t consider Ngannou’s punching power a problem.
“This is not scaring me. You see with Derrick Lewis, he had big knockout power too. Derrick Lewis is a beast too. But it was not a problem.
Ciryl Gane: Ngannou Punching Power “Not a Problem”
When you look at the fight, I stayed inside like that with his punches. It was not a problem. A heavyweight like me, I can punch, too, like that with a big transfer. But no, it’s not a problem for me. This is really not scaring me.”
Cyril Gane’s approach to fighting is unusual in the heavyweight division. Unlike most heavyweights, who plod forward, dishing out knockout power with every blow, Ciryl Gane is light on his feet, happy to win via decision. His movement is often compared to that of a middleweight, controlling the range of a fight and choosing his shots carefully.
“I’m really confident in myself. When I started in Muay Thai too I was like that, because every fight in my career, in front of me, it was a man more experienced than me. Every time.
And that’s why I was really confident that everything is possible, and I did it. So, today I think I have my chance too. He has his qualities, his strengths, I have mine. And we will see in January who can make his game plan better than his opponent.”
Once upon a time, Gane and Ngannou trained together at Paris’ premier fight gym, MMA Factory. Cyril Gane wasn’t scared of Francis Ngannou then, and he certainly isn’t afraid now. “I remember the first sparring we did, I was like, okay, this man likes to punch really hard.
And he punches for real. Like, even when it was just sparring, he liked to punch really hard. And I was really happy about that, because for me it was really great for me to comparing myself with Francis. Because when I started MMA, he was already in the top five. So, it was really great for me to compare myself, my level.
It’s not a secret. Everybody knows what his strength is, everybody knows what it is. Having that big knockout power, everybody knows that. So, it’s not a surprise. It’s exactly the same at the gym, during the sparring sessions.”
Should Ciryl be worried about Francis Ngannou’s punching power, or will his technical kickboxing be enough to avoid the knockout blow? Let us know in the comments.
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