How Did UFC Ciryl Gane Get His Nickname ‘Bon Gamin’? Meaning and Significance Behind His Monicker

Former UFC Heavyweight Interim champion Ciryl Gane is a feared fighter in the division and goes by the nickname ‘Bon Gamin’, which roughly translates to ‘a good person’ in English. The nickname actually makes a lot of sense because Gane is probably one of the nicest fighters on UFC’s payroll. The fighter is always respectful of his opponents and is always seen smiling and answering back.

He is not known for demeaning his opponents or trash-talking. He is always seen responding to sly comments or verbal jabs with a smile. For example, ahead of his fight against Jon Jones, the current HW champ took shots at his technical prowess as a fighter. Gane seemed unbothered and clearly stated that he didn’t want to be part of the trash-talking game. He insisted that they let their fists do the talking in the ring. ‘Bon Gamin’ could have easily made some personal comments to get back at Jones but he chose to avoid escalating the matter.

Now, Gane is looking to come back stronger and better as he is preparing for his next fight against a very dangerous opponent.

Ciryl Gane’s career and rankings

As of now, Ciryl Gane has fought in 13 different fights and has faced 13 different opponents. He made his UFC debut back in 2019 against Raphael Pessoa. He won that fight and went on to win 6 more fights, consecutively. His current UFC record stands at 11-2-0 with his first loss coming at the hands of former UFC HW champ Francis Ngannou and his second, at the hands of Jon Jones.

After he lost his fight against Jon Jones, ‘Bon Gamin’ dropped a rank and is currently #2 in the Heavyweight division. In a division that is filled with some of the most dangerous and well-groomed fighters, Gane’s rank is truly impressive. The Heavyweight made his UFC debut only four years back and has dominated his way through the division – right to the top of the division. There are fighters in the division who are far more experienced and have fought a lot of great opponents. So how did Gane make up for this lack of experience? How did he rank so high?

The answer lies in how he carries himself in the Octagon. The fighter doesn’t have the best ground game in the division. He doesn’t have the power that Ngannou had either. However, what he did have was the stature and build of a Heavyweight, but the agility, speed, and accuracy of a Light Heavyweight or a Middleweight fighter. This allowed him to gain advantages over fighters who were bigger and stronger than him. This allowed him to climb the ranks in one of the most difficult divisions to shine in.

The biggest flaw in his game was what led to a quick loss against Jones at UFC 285. Gane was left disappointed, hurt, and most importantly, angry with himself. He promised to make changes and come back better than ever. It seems he is doing just that since he recently shared a picture on his Twitter which was essentially a collage of pictures of him training and sparring. He added a caption that read, “We’ve been working on this “3.0” version of myself for quite some time now… Let’s get it out on Saturday and see what happens”.

Read More – Who Has Ciryl Gane Lost to in the UFC?

Gane’s next fight is against the menacing Heavyweight Sergey Spivak. The two are going head-to-head on 3 September and are main-eventing the UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Spivac fight card. If you want to know how and where to watch it or how to get yourself tickets, click here.

Alexander Volkov’s perspective on Ciryl Gane

UFC legend Alexander Volkov has a lot of respect for ‘Bon Gamin’. The two met in 2021 and the fight was a main event. Volkov lost that fight and failed to put a stop to Gane’s win streak. However, Volkov has always spoken highly of Gane and his approach to fights. He called him a very good fighter and a very good striker.

He also praised Gane’s approach to fights – striking and standing up. Gane has himself admitted to the fact that his ground game needs working on. It seems Volkov, who believes in standing and exchanging blows as well, appreciates Gane’s mentality in-ring and his style of fighting.

However, these attributes also make Ciryl Gane a dangerous man. He is not afraid of getting up and close and unleashing a flurry of punches. However, he is also working on his ground game. A fighter who is strong and fast and has a good ground game – that is what champions are made of. In fact, Alexander Volkov had said that he doesn’t find Ciryl Gane to be any less intimidating or dangerous as compared to the former champ Francis Ngannou.

Now that Gane is working on himself and is coming out with a “3.0” version of himself, the UFC Heavyweight division needs to brace for impact.

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