Dana White reacts to drab UFC Vegas 20 main event between Ciryl Gane and Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Ciryl Gane secured the biggest win of his career against Jairzinho Rozenstruik in the main event of UFC Vegas 20. The heavyweight clash, however, was not as exciting as fans were expecting it to be, which is why UFC president Dana White wasn't too thrilled about it.
At the post-fight press conference, one of the reporters asked Gane about his reaction to White's comments. White was expecting Ciryl Gane to be more aggressive and ended up comparing the French fighter's performance with Francis Ngannou's. 'The Predator' knocked out Rozenstruik in 20 seconds when the heavyweight pair locked horns last year in May at UFC 249.
According to the said reporter, the UFC president stated:
"Everybody's talking about Ciryl being a big contender, but look what Francis Ngannout did to Jairzinho. This was his coming-out party and a chance to show the world who he is. He won, but let's leave it at that".
Reacting to White's statements, Ciryl Gane said that he understands why the UFC boss may not have been impressed with his showing against Rozenstruik.
"I can understand that, he (Dana White) is the boss. He wants to make money, so he wants the guy to be bankable. And we know, people want a show, a big KO. Yes, I didn't finish the fight. I tried, but I didn't do it. I can understand that," said Gane.
Ciryl Gane set to enter the top 5 of the UFC heavyweight division
Heading into the fight against Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Ciryl Gane was ranked at No. 7 in the divisional rankings, thanks to his big win over Junior dos Santos. Now that he has defeated 'Bigi Boy', Gane is likely to become a top 5 heavyweight contender since Rozenstruik sat comfortably on the fourth spot.
Ciryl Gane has successfully thrown himself in the mix of fighters who may stake a claim to the heavyweight strap after the division's title picture becomes clearer. Francis Ngannou and Stipe Miocic will be headlining the UFC 260 PPV later on March 27.