Chael Sonnen scoffs at Ciryl Gane's demand for Francis Ngannou rematch - "He thought he did something good"
Chael Sonnen has scoffed at Ciryl Gane’s demand for a rematch against Francis Ngannou. Gane lost to UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou via unanimous decision at UFC 270 on January 22nd.
In an edition of Beyond the Fight, Sonnen touched upon the closely-contested fight. ‘The American Gangster’ pointed out that Ngannou – who lost the damage aspect but won the octagon control aspect – won the fight. He noted that in a bout, damage trumps octagon control.
#UFC270 Official Scorecard: Francis Ngannou (@Francis_Ngannou) vs Ciryl Gane
All Tonight's Scorecards: ufc.com/news/official-… https://t.co/VmSLgWtLfX
Sonnen believes that since Gane out-struck Ngannou and inflicted more damage than he received, he should’ve been awarded the decision victory.
‘The American Gangster’ lauded Ciryl Gane for coming as close as possible to beating the champion. Additionally, he referenced the possibility of Ngannou leaving the UFC when his contract expires in December. Sonnen emphasized that Gane is still the number-one contender.
Francis Ngannou found himself down on the scorecards but turned to his wrestling and dug deep to beat Cyril Gane 🏆
A five-round heavyweight battle at #UFC270! https://t.co/8KJjfmHFlF
Chael Sonnen reiterated that Gane should’ve been given the judges’ nod but criticized the Frenchman for failing to promote the fight. Sonnen stated:
“But of course, you can’t put Ciryl back in there; not after you see what a terrible job he did. He did a terrible job leading into this thing. He’s done a terrible job on the way out the door. And then he called for a rematch.” Sonnen laughed and continued, “He called for a rematch. He thought he did something good. He looks around. God! The building’s empty for a; building’s not full, for a heavyweight attraction. He thought he did something good. They’ll give him another one. Ciryl is not going to get another one.”
Watch Chael Sonnen sound off on Ciryl Gane in the video below:
Chael Sonnen believes Jon Jones, not Ciryl Gane, could capture the UFC heavyweight title next
Sonnen suggested that the UFC won’t accord Ciryl Gane a title shot next, as he failed to hype up his all-important UFC 270 matchup. He insinuated that if Ngannou leaves the UFC this year, the organization could book a fight between Stipe Miocic and Jon Jones to determine the heavyweight division’s new king.
Jones is set to make his heavyweight debut this year. Sonnen believes that Miocic could out-wrestle and beat Gane, given how the latter was out-wrestled by Ngannou. He added:
“If you get Ciryl out of the mix, now you have the Stipe and the Jon Jones conversation, which is where I think that it’s going to go. But it doesn’t have to. And Jones has an opportunity to slip in and grab himself a world championship.”
If this is the Apex of heavyweight fighting, I’m excited about it. Got some more records to break