"We're FAR from over" - Ciryl Gane looks back on 8 years as a professional fighter
Ciryl Gane is celebrating eight years as a professional fighter today. The French UFC heavyweight posted a tweet with pictures of all the major milestones in his career so far.
'Bon Gamin' fondly reminiscenced his career over eight years, and insisted that his story has many more chapters to write:
"And we're FAR from over. This month, it's been 8 years that I dipped my feet into professional fighting. What a ride it is. Thank you to everyone that came along, and welcome to the new ones aboard."
With a strong message that the No.1-ranked heavyweight contender is here to stay, Ciryl Gane shared some images of his first pro Muay Thai fight, first pro MMA bout, his interim title victory and the first UFC event in France.
And we're FAR from over 😏
This month, it's been 8 years that I dipped my feet into professionnal fighting. What a ride it is. Thank you to everyone that came along, and welcome to the new ones aboard ‼️😉 https://t.co/I88tBrXGxc
Cirl Gane won the interim heavyweight title from Derrick Lewis at UFC 265 in August 2021, setting him up for a title challenge against Francis Ngannou.
Following three consecutive wins in 2021 against Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Alexander Volkov and Derrick Lewis, 'Bon Gamin' faced Ngannou for the title at UFC 270 this past January..
'The Predator' managed to hand Gane the first defeat of his MMA career, winning via unanimous decision and retaining the heavyweight crown.
Ciryl Gane rebounded from the loss at UFC Paris in September, beating Tai Tuivasa via knockout.
Ciryl Gane suffered a broken hand against Tai Tuivasa
Ciryl Gane revealed that he suffered a broken hand against Tui Tuivasa and will be taking some time off to heal his injuries.
Gane took to social media to announce his break from fighting, promising to return in 2023 "Stronger than ever." The French national also stated that he needed a break to recover from some other injuries, finishing off with a confident claim to aim for the heavyweight title on his return.
With Jon Jones' rumored return to the UFC octagon, it certainly makes the heavyweight division one to keep an eye on.
At the UFC 281 post-fight scrum, Dana White indicated that Jones will make his return in 2023 and he also confirmed that the UFC never wanted a Stipe Miocic vs. Jon Jones matchup.
On the topic of the next heavyweight title fight, White stated that he hopes to see Francis Ngannou vs. Jones come to fruition.
youtu.be/Amc4lzXP48wDana White expects Jon Jones to fight for UFC heavyweight gold in 2023 and "hopefully Francis" Ngannou is the opponent 👀
Full #UFC281 post-fight scrum ▶️ youtu.be/Amc4lzXP48w https://t.co/8gDMwWXtUS
With Ngannou's contract and pay issues still unresolved, it remains to be seen if the heavyweight champion will continue to fight in the UFC. However, with Gane set to return to action in 2023, if the circumstances provide, there could be an interesting matchup between Ciryl Gane and Jon Jones.