Ciryl Gane catches up with newly-retired soccer star Raphael Varane at Ares FC 25 [VIDEO]
Former interim UFC heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane was recently seen rubbing elbows with recently retired French football icon Raphael Varane at Ares FC 25. 'Bon Gamin', who frequents the French fight organization, was dapping it up with the four-time FIFA World Cup champion in the crowd.
Gane has been out of action since his win over Serghei Spivac over a year ago, taking some lengthy break from fighting. Still, 'Bon Gamin' has been active in the gym and maintained his relevancy through social media and occasional appearances in fight events, such as Ares FC 5.
UFC Fight Pass posted a video of Gane and Varane on X with the caption:
"Ciryl Gane in the building! #ARES25"
Check out the video below:
Varane, a veteran of over ten seasons in the game, won a total of 18 titles, including the La Liga title, the Copa del Rey, the UEFA Champions League title, and the coveted FIFA Club World Cup. Varane is largely considered one of the most tactically proficient players of his time, with a firm grasp of technique that's second to none. He announced his official retirement from the sport in an Instagram post uploaded yesterday.
Ciryl Gane to rematch Alexander Volkov at UFC 310 in Las Vegas
After getting initially booked for UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi, the rematch between Ciryl Gane and Alexander Volkov is now taking place at UFC 310 in December. The two first faced each other at UFC Vegas 30 in June of 2021, where 'Bon Gamin' out-fought 'Drago' en route to a unanimous decision win.
At the moment, Volkov is on a four-fight winning streak, with his most recent victory over Sergei Pavlovich at UFC Saudi Arabia last June. He has notable wins over Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Tai Tuivasa, and Alistair Overeem, to name a few.
As for Gane, aside from arguably the two best active heavyweights at the moment, Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou, no one in the UFC heavyweight division has put so much of a dent in the Frenchman's career so far.
With experience fighting 'Bon Gamin' already, perhaps Volkov can right his wrongs in the past and bring something the Frenchman hasn't already dealt with before. Only time will tell. UFC 310 happens on Dec. 7 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.