"It was wrong" - Ciryl Gane on Francis Ngannou ignoring Fernand Lopez backstage at UFC 268

Ciryl_ Gane (right), Francis Ngannou (left) [Images Courtesy: @ciryl_gane @francisngannou on Instagram]

Ciryl Gane has addressed the footage that emerged of his former training partner and now upcoming opponent Francis Ngannou ignoring his former coach Fernand Lopez whilst backstage at UFC 268 in November.

Ciryl Gane and Fernand Lopez were both at UFC 268 to corner Nassourdine Imavov, who put in a stellar performance against Edmen Shahbazyan. Following Imavov's win, Gane and Lopez were standing backstage at Madison Square Garden when Francis Ngannou walked past.

What transpired was a moment of extreme awkwardness, as 'The Predator' completely ignored his former coach and training partners, much to their amusement.

The footage can be seen below:

Video going around from UFC 268 of heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou ignoring former coach as well as his former teammate/interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane.

Gane and Ngannou are set for a bout to unify the titles at UFC 270, which is scheduled for January 22nd.

#ufc https://t.co/8f0ml5tHHd

Gane has since addressed the encounter. Speaking with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, 'Bon Gamin' had the following to say about his upcoming opponent's actions:

"I think he was a little bit confused so he don't know exactly what he must do in this moment so he preferred to do nothing. So he just crossed the line like that. And I don't know if today he's okay with this. But for me it was- It was wrong."

You can check out Gane's full interview on The MMA Hour below:

UFC 270: Ciryl Gane vs. Francis Ngannou

At UFC 270, Ciryl Gane and Francis Ngannou will take their rivalry to the octagon. Ngannou is the current heavyweight champion, whilst Gane holds the interim belt.

Ngannou has been near unstoppable since falling to two decision losses against Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis in 2018. Four consecutive KO finishes saw him granted another title shot against Miocic last March. In the UFC 260 main event, Ngannou promptly knocked the heavyweight legend out.

Okay wtf I’ve never seen this angle https://t.co/jhObW2GXTu

Gane's rise to the top has, if anything, been even more rapid than Ngannou's. The Frenchman only signed to the UFC in 2019. Since then, he has put together seven consecutive victories in the promotion, bringing his overall MMA record to a perfect 10-0.

Ngannou has a reputation as a monstrous power puncher who knocks out anyone who attempts to strike with him. However, sparring footage has emerged of Gane handling 'The Predator' rather well back when 'The Predator' was still training at the MMA Factory in Paris, France.