"He was protected" - Francis Ngannou believes the UFC failed Ciryl Gane by hyping him up ahead of UFC 270
Francis Ngannou claims Ciryl Gane bought into his own hype heading into their heavyweight title clash at UFC 270. Ngannou feels that ahead of the fight, Gane was being hyped as the best striker in the heavyweight division by the media as well as the promotion.
He also pointed out that the Frenchman was not matched against wrestlers. 'The Predator' claimed that the UFC protected Gane in order to build his hype before he fought for the title. Ngannou admitted that Gane has a good striking game but stressed that MMA is about the all-round skillsets of fighters.
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This takedown had everyone like 😲💥😂
Ngannou wasn't fully prepared cuz of his injuries but he came in LIKE THE CHAMP HE IS 🏅 @francis_ngannou 🇨🇲💪🏾💯
#Ngannou #ThePredator #NgannouGane https://t.co/M5IhseYAoS
In a recently shared video on his YouTube channel, Ngannou said:
"Before the fight was that he really listened and believed to what they were saying in the media... You don't get usually get in the UFC on to fight for the title without fighting a wrestler, that's the rule. In this case, he seems like he was protected. That [UFC] protected him and that was just hyping his striking style. This is not a striking game, this is a fighting game which includes everything."
Check out the video below:
Ciryl Gane explains why he doesn't mind not getting a shot at redemption against Francis Ngannou
Ngannou, known for being a violent knockout artist, put up a wrestling masterclass to defeat Gane via unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 270. In the immediate aftermath of the fight, Gane was keen on getting a rematch against 'The Predator'.
.@francis_ngannou didn’t even have to throw or connect with his power punch because he shocked everyone with his new skills - grappling and takedown. This is truly an evolution.
Now we head to 12 February for our boy, @stylebender to continue to job
#Ngannou
#UFC270 https://t.co/kH3kArtNcw
However, given the doubts over Francis Ngannou's future in the UFC, Gane has accepted that he might never fight Ngannou again. Although he lost the fight, Gane believes he performed alright and even bettered Ngannou in various aspects. Therefore, he doesn't regret the fact that he might not get a shot at redemption.
During an appearance on Ariel Helwani's The MMA Hour podcast, he said:
"I’ve got this in my mind, maybe I never fight again against Francis anyway, because I did a really great fight and for me, I lost, but not too much. It was just a little mistake. For me, I was better in the striking, in the ground game, but for me, I was better. I know this is a little bit strange to say that, but I was better on my wrestling too if you compare the technique, if you compare something like that... So that’s why I’m OK if I never fight again with Francis."