UFC cutman quotes former POTUS George W. Bush as he reacts to post highlighting Ciryl Gane working on his ground game after Jon Jones loss
Ciryl Gane suffered a humiliating first-round submission loss to Jon Jones back at UFC 285. The result of the bout has prompted the Frenchman to focus on grappling training, which ESPN MMA recently shared on their Instagram handle. This drew the attention of UFC cutman, Brad Tate, who quoted the former U.S. President George W. Bush.
The cutman popped up in the comment section of the Instagram post, sharing an iconic quote from the aforementioned former U.S. President. The comment was likely made in good fun, with little in the way of genuine criticism toward the Frenchman.
Tate, the cutman, commented:
"There's an old saying in Tennessee, I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee, that says, fool me once, shame on, shame on you. Fool me ... you can't get fooled again. ~ George W. Bush"
The loss to Jones is the most damaging defeat in Gane's career. Ahead of the bout, the Frenchman was regarded as an interesting challenge for 'Bones' given his size, athleticism, and elite striking.
However, once the fight commenced, Gane—a former interim heavyweight champion—seemed awestruck by Jones. He wasn't as willing to seize the initiative in the striking department and was promptly taken down and submitted within two minutes of the fight.
Since then, Gane has been swarmed by criticism over his poor defensive wrestling and grappling, especially given that he spent most of his career as an undefeated talent. However, a glimpse at his record reveals a distinct lack of world-class wrestlers, or any proper wrestlers in fact, until he faced Jones.
The majority of his opponents were strikers, most of whom were either ufc-champions-suffered-rapid-fall-grace" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">over-the-hill or one-dimensional.
Ciryl Gane's defensive wrestling failed against another undisputed heavyweight champion
Ciryl Gane suffered the first loss of his career to Francis Ngannou at UFC 270, which left many stunned given how it transpired. While many expected a striking battle, the fight was won with wrestling and grappling. Despite nursing a knee injury, Ngannou resorted to his never-before-seen wrestling.
Ngannou scored several takedowns and outworked Gane with extended top control. Even when the Gane seemed to be in an advantageous position on the ground, he made a critical mistake in pursuing a leg-lock, which ultimately led to Ngannou securing the top position.