Ciryl Gane's dwindling appeal: How the Frenchman lost the respect of the MMA fandom
Just a few years ago, Ciryl Gane was regarded as the future of the UFC heavyweight division, and it isn't difficult to see why. He was undefeated, hyper-athletic, muscled to herculean proportions, and a high-level striker. Not only was he considered the future, but was hailed as a future champion.
For a moment, those predictions seemed to be on course to fulfillment following his interim heavyweight title win against Derrick Lewis. This, however, remains the peak of Gane's career. He has since racked up two losses, with his alleged selective behavior regarding matchmaking leaving a sour taste in fans' mouths.
So, in short order, Gane's reputation among followers of the sport has taken a hit, and there are several reasons why that is.
Ciryl Gane's perceived entitlement
Every fighter aims to capture undisputed gold in the UFC. Thus, it is sensible that fighters have an aversion to moving backward in the rankings from their perspective. This appears to be the case with Ciryl Gane. He has now had two cracks at the heavyweight title, failing both times.
So fans are of the mind that Gane must re-earn another title shot. This is where his issues with the rest of the heavyweight division arise. Gane was previously called out by Tom Aspinall following the Englishman's triumphant return from injury against Marcin Tybura. Appearing on The MMA Hour, the Frenchman had this to say:
"A lot of people talk about Aspinall now, but this doesn't make sense for me."
Check out Ciryl Gane turning down Tom Aspinall's initial callout (3:19:21):
Aspinall planned to face Gane in Paris, France, before ultimately challenging Jon Jones for the undisputed heavyweight title. Unfortunately, the Englishman was turned down by Gane, who reasoned that it would be a step backward for him, and claimed that he was aiming for a title shot instead.
This caused fans to accuse Gane of ducking. More than that, he was thereafter described as entitled. This was made all the worse after Aspinall captured interim heavyweight gold by knocking out Sergei Pavlovich, which drew the Frenchman's attention, enough for him to finally call out Aspinall for a fight.
This disgruntled both the fans and Aspinall himself, who dismissed Gane's challenge. Afterward, another high-ranked heavyweight accused the Frenchman of ducking him. Specifically, Curtis Blaydes claimed that 'Bon Gamin' had turned down a matchup with him.
Speaking at a presser after UFC 299, Blaydes said:
"Nope. I feel like you guys are always trying to edge me toward Gane. That's not happening. I asked for him already in the past. He missed that bus."
Check out Curtis Blaydes claiming that Ciryl Gane turned him down:
This only worsened Gane's reputation among fans, who felt that he was deliberately avoiding tough matchups in the hope that he'd be gifted a third title shot after just one win, over Serghei Spivac no less, since his crushing loss to Jon Jones.
Ciryl Gane's losses have caused fans to reevaluate his level as a fighter
Any time a fighter loses their undefeated record, they are subjected to criticism from fans. Revisionist history on formerly undefeated fighters is common, as are claims that they were 'exposed' for losing. However, in Ciryl Gane's case, his career defeats were particularly damaging to his image.
Gane's first-ever loss, which was handed to him by Francis Ngannou, came in a competitive five-round affair. However, it was defined by Gane getting outwrestled and made to look inexperienced due to some of his decision-making in the bout. Moreover, he was outwrestled by Ngannou, of all fighters.
Check out Ciryl Gane getting outwrestled by Francis Ngannou:
Not only is Ngannou not a wrestler by trade, and was himself outwrestled in lopsided fashion by Stipe Miocic, but 'The Predator' was essentially a one-legged man inside the octagon due to ACL and MCL injuries. Yet, Gane was still outwrestled by him, which caused many to reevaluate his skills.
Many held that if Ngannou could outwrestle the Frenchman in such a manner, a proper wrestler would dominate him. Though Gane rebounded with a hard-fought knockout over Tai Tuivasa, he subsequently faced Jon Jones for the then-vacant heavyweight title in a bout that reignited talk about Gane's grappling skills.
Within two minutes, the Frenchman was taken down and submitted with a guillotine choke. The loss was regarded by many as embarrassing, and that it was Gane's second title loss in his last three fights left many ready to dismiss him as a potential future champion.
Check out Jon Jones submitting Ciryl Gane:
Gane's reputation is now wildly different from what it once was. He hasn't had a winning streak since his days as an undefeated fighter, and fans need to be won over again. This is magnified by the heavyweight rankings. Gane is currently ranked #2 in the division but has not beaten anyone in the top five.
The only top-five foe he has faced is Jones himself, to whom he lost in decisive fashion. Everyone else is a fighter he has either never been matched up with or is alleged to have avoided for one reason or another. However, his attempts to dictate the terms of his matchups have rubbed both fans and fighters the wrong way.
This includes his recent rebuttal of Aspinall's claim that he turned him down. He promised to face the latter in Paris, which would grant Gane a home-field advantage, despite Aspinall being a current titleholder and ranked higher.