Stephen Thompson predicts the winner of Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane 

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Stephen Thompson (left) and Francis Ngannou & Ciryl Gane (right) [Image credits: @wonderboymma and @francisngannou on Instagram]

Stephen Thompson has weighed in on the upcoming heavyweight title unification bout between Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane, which is set to headline UFC 270.

During an interview with James Lynch, 'Wonderboy' shared his thoughts on the upcoming heavyweight showdown. He picked Ngannou to emerge victorious in the UFC 270 main event.

"Ciryl Gane, I think, is a technician. I think he's faster... but he's got some power. But Ngannou man, he can hit you with one little shot on the tip of the nose and put you to sleep. I think it's gonna be difficult man, for both, but I'm gonna lean towards my man Ngannou."

Watch Thompson make his pick for Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane in the video below:

'Wonderboy' is currently going through a rough patch in the UFC. The 38-year-old competed twice last year and lost both fights.

Thompson's first encounter of 2021 was against Gilbert Burns at UFC 264. The fight was a rather dull event that ended with a unanimous decision victory for 'Durinho'.

For his second fight, 'Wonderboy' took on Belal Muhammad on December 18. The contest was a pretty one-sided affair. 'Remember The Name' overwhelmed Thompson with his grappling skills and went on to win via unanimous decision.

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Ciryl Gane hails Francis Ngannou as the most powerful athlete that he has ever seen

Ahead of his fight against Francis Ngannou on January 22, Ciryl Gane sat down for an interview with French media outlet La Sueur.

During the interaction, 'Bon Gamin' acknowledged the difference in punching power between himself and the heavyweight champion. The 31-year-old added that he was planning to focus on his own strengths rather than playing into Ngannou's hands.

"You know, we're coming into this fight with our own strengths. We're not here to try and counter his [Francis Ngannou's] strengths. We don't want to try and be stronger than him. Till today, I've never seen anyone as powerful, as athletic, with such knockout power. I've never seen it. In terms of strength, Francis might be the most impressive guy in UFC history. I'm not going to try to become stronger than him in three months. It wouldn't make sense."

Catch the full Ciryl Gane interview below:

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