Number 3 in the UFC heavyweight standings, Ciryl Gane faces quantity 5, Russian Alexander Volkov, this Saturday in Las Vegas (to be adopted from 9 p.m. stay and solely on RMC Sport 2). A shock of difficult strikers however which may open the door of the champion Francis Ngannou, his former coaching accomplice. And enable him to shine after a final efficiency criticized by the boss of the UFC.
This time the march can lead to the entrance door. Still undefeated in MMA (8-0), and subsequently in the UFC (5-0), Ciryl Gane passes a new main check this Saturday night in Las Vegas against Russian Alexander Volkov. Four months after beating Jairzinho Rozenstruik, the French phenomenon already ranked third in the UFC heavyweight standings is again in the cage in opposition to fifth in the similar rating for a shock in the “main event” (primary combat of the night) the place a win may lead him to a title shock. “We are in this theme, yes, ‘Bon Gamin' confirmed on RMC Fighter Club. When I beat Jairzinho he was number 3 and I was told to ask for the belt. But I thought they were going to put me another fight before. There, if I win, I don't think they're going to take me through another intermediate step. “
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“It's almost a certainty”, helps Fernand Lopez, his coach at MMA Factory. Who cannot say an excessive amount of for the second however full: “He would be undefeated, it is beautiful for the poster”. Especially if it opposes him to a sure Francis Ngannou, overpowered champion of the class. The Cameroonian grew up in the bottle-feeding self-discipline of Fernand Lopez at the MMA Factory, like Ciryl Gane. They shared coaching classes, coaches, comrades, who typically noticed “Ciryl cancel the danger of Francis with his travels” dixit Taylor Lapilus, French fighter one other member of MMA Factory and RMC Sport advisor. Then Ngannou left the Parisian ship for Vegas, a separation with a background of resentment. Storytelling is written by itself, apparent, marketable, and the UFC most likely already has in thoughts the movies that may inform their crossed story.
“It would have annoyed me to face him before …”
With his broad smile that by no means leaves him, the doable future challenger doesn't cover it when he's requested to react to the coronation of Ngannou at the finish of March: “I am glad he had the belt because it would have bothered me to to face him and that we put sticks in the wheels before a fight for the title by all we know. Frankly, his victory made me warm to the heart. I was super happy, especially when I saw the wave on the networks of these famous videos in Africa and everywhere. I really felt that it was not only for him but for many other things. A super good thing that I did not had felt for no other champion. It makes me want to do the same for France. There is no animosity. Noooo. You know me, there never will be. It could also have made me neither hot nor cold but it really made me happy. The images made me happy. “
The actual opposition of fashion between the harmful striker Ngannou and the striker extra technician dancer Gane makes you salivate. She anticipates herself, too. Fernand Lopez admits to wanting to “harden” the hanging of his protégé now that very critical issues are occurring. Manager of the France Olympic workforce, John Dovi noticed the UFC fighter throughout a sparring with Mourad Aliev, who certified for Tokyo in the super-heavyweight, in latest weeks. “Fernand Lopez is preparing this: Ciryl manages space well but Francis is a monster, a tidal wave, and that's also why he needs to perfect himself in this notion of face- Face to face. It will play a big part in such a fight. ” One may think about the inevitably electrical shock for the finish of the 12 months, and even the starting of the following one.
>> Long format: Ciryl Gane, itinerary of a gifted
If the well being state of affairs allowed the gauges of the French audio system to be 100%, we after all dream of seeing it at Bercy, and even at 5 in the morning if we've got to meet the US broadcast. No matter what time, the room can be full. Boiling. It will first be mandatory to beat Volkov, something however a trivial matter as the man is so robust, and see Ngannou defend his belt in opposition to Derrick Lewis, who had overwhelmed him in 2018 in one in every of the worst fights in UFC historical past, most likely in September. No downside, Ciryl is in no hurry. “I tell myself that we are in a position to say: ‘Guys, we are expecting'. I am expecting a second child for the month of August, another girl. So, we will take the time for that and for this famous cycle of force that we have been talking about for two or three years but for which I never had the time because I am going through the fights. We will take the time before the next fight. If I win, of course. ” To ensure, Gane repeats that he has ready “a version 3.0 of himself”.
“We're not going to put a knife to our throats”
To please Dana White, very critical after her victory over Rozenstruik? If you realize the man and his relaxation in the face of events, you already know he does not care. “It has not impacted me in my state of mind, advance the French fighter. I know what I have to do on the day of the fight. I am very aware of what is going on around me and I do not I'm not surprised. The guy is a businessman. We know what makes his business run so it's understandable. When you put yourself in the shoes of the fan who loves action but who doesn't know much about the arts martial arts and who starts watching the UFC to see knockouts, he is not happy either. On the other hand, guys who like martial arts and MMA, they love it and think it was a good performance. . “
An illustration of superiority and management for 5 rounds. “He canceled the guy, recalls Taylor Lapilus. You watch the fight, you don't know if Rozenstruik is strong or not. You say to yourself: ‘Bug, they went to take the security guard of the supermarket next door.” White had judged the efficiency not spectacular sufficient for his style, stroke of blood particularly born of a very poor night in present that he hoped to see saved by a bang between the two heavyweights. “We know Dana,” resumes our advisor. “He's a man who speaks below the affect of emotion. He makes surprising statements, it was not his first and it is not going to be his final. He was simply anticipating no extra reveals. But producing that efficiency, doing that to a man like Rozenstruik, there aren't many guys who're able to that. “
Come on, after all that, don't want this big knockout that would loop on social networks and give the UFC boss an extra smile? “When you inform me about that, I say sure as a result of there are the Instagram followers that go together with it, the fight bonus that goes with it, so sure I would really like to put that on, Gane smiles. But for those who inform me that I have to search for that completely, that my subsequent technique have to be solely on that … We have confirmed that we will do lovely issues in a quick time. If it has to come, it would come, however we're not going to put it both. knife below my throat. Maybe that may additionally push me to defeat. ” Feet on the ground, always.
But even without looking for it, this bang could well come against Volkov, tall rod over two meters and former karateka to more classic boxing, online, which presents a perfect style to see this (very) nice boy shine, always good. in his sneakers and who puts others in theirs, but who also knows how to transform. “I wished this combat, explains Fernand Lopez, as a result of after these criticisms, I wanted somebody who may push the inexperienced man to come out of inside Ciryl. There is a Hulk who's hiding in Ciryl, who doesn't comes out solely when he is offended, when he is pushed round. I've already seen him in ‘animal' mode on the combat in opposition to Adam Dyczka in Canada (his second in MMA, September 2018, victory over TKO, editor's notice). decreased, he had just one lung, a damaged toe, however I actually felt this Hulk come out of him, a particular person I did not acknowledge. In his gaze I noticed some nastiness, he wished to finalize the man. He was prepared to die and that is the man I would like to see in opposition to Volkov. “
“Volkov goes to launch a Ciryl that everybody will love”
A priori, that's the idea. “In the method of coaching, when he solely hits me or Paulin Begai with bear paws, you see that there's the intention to do very, very badly. conditioned. ” And this from the initial “gameplan” to the announcement of the fight. “I wrote to him, continues his coach, telling him: ‘I've unhealthy information for you: you're going to take hits, you're going to see very badly. But I've excellent news for you: for those who agree to take the blows, block them, you're going to lay it down as a result of it's open, it would make a mistake. If you agree to cease taking part in and tighten up the recreation a little, you'll decrease it. thoughts.”
The following words fall like a prediction: “It's attention-grabbing. Volkov, together with his dimension, his boxing type, goes to launch a Ciryl that everybody will love. It's good as a match-up. Bad tongues sooner or later. are at all times going to exist, and in a method we'd like them. I do not thoughts. But it is good to present the Ciryl who may be striker, grappler, wrestler, brawler, have enjoyable in all departments. ” Dana White ought to admire. As for Francis Ngannou, we are going to take a look at it with an eye.