Ciryl Gane feels sparring with Francis Ngannou made him a better fighter - "I was really lucky to have him"

Ciryl Gane (right), Francis Ngannou (left) [Images via Getty: UFC 249 Ngannou v Rozenstruik UFC 265: Lewis v Gane]

Ahead of his UFC heavyweight title unification bout against Francis Ngannou, Ciryl Gane has suggested he was incredibly lucky to have been able to train with 'The Predator' during the early days of his MMA career.

Much has been made of the rivalry between Ngannou and Gane's head coach Fernand Lopez. The bad blood stems from the Cameroonian's decision to leave the MMA Factory gym in France for Xtreme Couture in the United States.

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However, despite the tension between his coach and opponent, there is no rivalry for Gane.

In a recent interview with Michael Bisping for BT Sport, 'Bon Gamin' recounted how fortunate he had been to train with Ngannou whilst 'The Predator' was still at MMA Factory.

"I was really lucky to have Francis in my young career. I improve a lot... I learn a lot and I was really lucky to have him when I started MMA. We improve a lot. We have exactly the same thing that two, three years ago, but we improve. I got more skills than two, three years ago. Maybe him also."

Ciryl Gane vs Francis Ngnannou en sparring 🏴 https://t.co/BNSKFlw48v

Ciryl Gane on the power of Francis Ngannou

One of the most intimidating aspects of Francis Ngannou is the raw power he possesses. Very few fighters have been able to deal with it, but Gane believes he is capable of mitigating its effectiveness.

He further told former UFC middleweight champion Bisping:

"You must be focused on it. This is the biggest threat he has. So you must be focused on it... It's really different to be afraid and to be focused. I think I proved it. The biggest recorded knockout is Derrick Lewis and I did my fight against him... I was really not afraid about that. It was more funny when he was really close to touch me. It was just funny. You can see me laughing."

Check out Ciryl Gane's full interview with Michael Bisping below: