Who Has Ciryl Gane Lost to in the UFC?

Former UFC Interim Champion Ciryl Gane has been one of the most dynamic UFC Heavyweights in recent memory. He started a seven-fight win streak since he made his debut in the UFC but his first loss came at the hands of former UFC HW champ Francis Ngannou. Regardless, Gane established himself as a force to be reckoned with in the UFC heavyweight division, displaying a level of striking that was rarely seen in the heavyweight category.

The fighter is a powerful hitter with only two losses to his name. The Frenchman is currently preparing for a pivotal heavyweight main event of his career. This can be a way for him to redeem himself after his first ‘real loss’ in the UFC. As we prepare to see Gane in the UFC Paris main event this weekend, let us take a look at the few times he lost his footing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

UFC 270: Ciryl Gane vs. Francis Ngannou

Ciryl Gane and Francis Ngannou had a disagreement over their differing opinions of their own relationship. Gane thought that Ngannou and him are former teammates. The two started their professional career together and used to spar at the MMA Factory in Paris, under the tutelage of coach Fernand Lopez. However, Ngannou seemed to differ from him on this and said that they could not be called teammates.

‘Bon Gamin’ made his UFC debut in the year 2019. He was a part of an undercard fight against Raphael Pessoa. Both fighters were impressive that night but Gane picked up the win with an impressive arm-triangle submission. He then went on to win 7 fights back to back.

His first defeat came at the hands of the hardest puncher in the world, Francis Ngannou. The two monsters met at UFC 270 where Ngannou did to him what he had been doing to others, up until that point. Gane came in strong and within the first two rounds, he landed some really good strikes.

However, the tables turned in the later rounds when Ngannou surprisingly used the ground game to his advantage. Although fans expected a finish from one of the fighters on the feet, Ngannou prevailed at the end of  the night via a convincing unanimous decision win.

UFC Record and Career Progression

Ciryl Gane’s current UFC record stands at 11-2-0. Till he lost his fight to Ngannou, Ciryl Gane was the next big thing in the UFC Heavyweight division. He steamrolled through opponents like Alexander Volkov and Derrick Lewis, among others. But when Ngannou defeated him, he lost his opportunity to become the UFC Heavyweight champ. However, he had captured the UFC HW interim championship during his fight against Derrick Lewis.

Another opportunity showed up for him as the former UFC HW champ left the company following a fallout with the president, Dana White. The UFC HW championship title was up for grabs and Ciryl Gane was one of the obvious names to be considered for a fight. However, his projected reign would only begin if he could overcome a massive challenge – probably one of the biggest challenges he had faced so far. An undefeated UFC Light Heavyweight fighter was returning to the UFC, in the Heavyweight division and he was fighting Gane for the title.

Ciryl Gane Vs. Jon Jones at UFC 285

Jon Jones had been beefing with Francis Ngannou for a while, but right before Jones arrived, Ngannou exited the UFC. Naturally, Gane was the first name to come to mind after Ngannou. Jones, who had been away from the UFC for a while, shocked the world with a quick submission win over Gane in round one itself.

When Jones shared his training videos ahead of his UFC return, people were calling him ‘slow’ and ‘sloppy’. Gane, who had been in the UFC and fighting, seemed like the obvious pick for the winner. Jones, who was undefeated until then (except for a DQ in his early career), was headed toward his first loss at the hands of Ciryl Gane – or so the fans thought.

In an interview leading up to the fight, Gane had confessed to being ‘lazy’. He had said that he didn’t like grappling too much and that he hadn’t been training until the Jon Jones fight was announced.

Gane’s Mindset after Loss to Jones

Ciryl Gane is a top-tier Heavyweight fighter. However, he had a few loopholes in his game, and UFC HW champ Jon Jones took advantage of that. After he suffered a quick but devastating loss against Jones, Gane went on to say that this loss was really ‘painful’ for him and that he was quite ‘angry with himself’.

Gane had lost to Ngannou before he lost to Jones. In fact, his loss to the Cameroonian-French fighter was his first loss in the UFC. However, according to Gane, his loss to Jones was his first ‘real loss’ in the UFC. He proceeded to say that he learned a lot from his Ngannou loss but it was not as big a loss as the one to Jones.

Since then, Gane has said that he would be spending time in the gym and that he would stop being ‘lazy’. He said that he needed to work on his ground game and that is exactly what he shall be doing henceforth.

Dissecting the Fight and Lessons Learned

There were quite a few flaws in Gane’s game that gave Jones one of his easiest UFC wins. The fact that Jones’ ground game is impeccable and that Gane isn’t all that great on the mat was already a point in Jones’ column. However, what Gane repents for the most is not listening to his coach who had repeatedly told him to maintain his distance and keep throwing jabs. The moment Gane threw a big right, Jones took him down. Soon, it was all over for him.

Had Gane listened to his coach and managed his distance well, maybe the fight could have ended differently. Maybe he would have gone the distance with him. The training camp for the Jones fight was primarily about keeping that distance and avoiding takedowns at all costs.

Dive Deeper – “Not the UFC”- Dashing Dana White’s Hope for a Jon Jones Fight, Francis Ngannou Sets Date for Huge PFL Debut

Gane is a good striker and has heavy hands. However, Jones has a good reach as well and can manage distance and set up takedowns and heavy strikes well. Jones was looking to take advantage of Gane closing in and he did. Gane had prepared for the fight but he didn’t get a chance to showcase that.

Back to the Gym and Future Plans

Gane, after his loss to Jones, was deeply dissatisfied with his performance. He has decided that he would hit the gym right after UFC 285 and that he would be working on his ground game primarily, besides doing strength training and distance management. These are quintessential since he would have to be tussling with Heavyweights who are now proficient fighters – complete fighters, to be precise.

Currently, Gane is preparing for a fight against Sergey Spivak. The Heavyweight main event is scheduled to be held on 2 September. If Gane has learned from his mistakes against Jones, then his upcoming fight against Spivak might end much differently for him. 

Watch This Story – Sugar reveals he rejected a Hollywood project, unlike Conor McGregor