Ciryl Gane has two losses under the UFC banner, but only one of them is real.
That’s according to “Bon Gamin,” who credits his defeat to former 265-pound champion Jon Jones at UFC 285 as the turning point in his combat sports career. As for his loss to ex-heavyweight titleholder Francis Ngannou at UFC 270; well, that was just a “square” bump in the road.
“I think it was after the Jon Jones loss because it was a real loss,” Gane told UFC on Paramount+. “The fight against Francis Ngannou was a little
bit square, but after Jon Jones, something changed in my mindset because also the pressure of social media from everywhere. Like, ‘Ciryl Gane, we overestimated him,’ blah, blah, blah.”
Ngannou was out-struck by Gane but managed to land four out of five takedowns for more than eight minutes of control time. As for Gane’s loss to Jones, that took all of two minutes after “Bones” scored a takedown and locked up a fight-ending submission.
“I was disappointed,” Gane continued. “It was 2023, and I started MMA in 2019, so I already did pretty much in four years. One side of my head was about to give my back to everyone, but because I’m a competitor and because I want to prove to myself, I’m going to stay, ‘I’m going to prove to myself.’”
Gane (14-2) will have to prove he belongs at the top of the 265-pound mountain when he battles undefeated contender Josh Hokit atop the UFC 334 fight card this weekend at Madison Square Garden in New York City. At the very least, he should at least prove he can get through the fight without any fouls.
For much more on the upcoming UFC 334 event on Paramount+ click here.
