It goes without saying that Derrick Lewis had an uncharacteristically bad showing in his interim title fight with Ciryl Gane. Brendan Schaub seems to think that the pressure of the moment got to the Black Beast.
Schaub watched live as Lewis got picked apart by Gane, en route to a third round TKO loss. Ciryl outstruck Derrick by a huge margin of 112-16 in total strikes, leading to many to believe that the Frenchman has the potential to dethrone current champ Francis Ngannou.
Speaking in a recent episode of his podcast though, Brendan made it clear that he thinks it was as much a case of a bad showing from Lewis, as it was a good outing for Gane. He thinks that the pressure of fighting for the interim title in his hometown got to Derrick, and he underperformed.
“It just looked like (Lewis) didn’t show up. The pressure got to him. The title is on the line, even though it’s the interim title the title’s on the line, you’re in your hometown, it’s in Houston, all this was for you, and he kind of s—t the bed,” Schaub said.
“Ciryl Gane just couldn’t be a worse matchup for Derrick Lewis… The only other time he fought for a title, against DC (Daniel Cormier), he got manhandled. So the pressure might be a thing for him. Still a great fighter, still one of the best knockout artists to ever do it, but when the chips are on the table and you’re fighting the real deal, it doesn’t work out for him.”
Brendan Schaub Picks Gane Over Ngannou
That being said, the next fight for Ciryl Gane will be him attempting to unify his title with reigning undisputed champ Francis Ngannou. Early odds have the interim champ as the slight favorite, and Brendan Schaub tends to agree.
The retired UFC heavyweight turned comedian believes that Ciryl’s footwork and defensive skills will be enough to outlast Francis and win a decision. While Francis packs a big punch, he says that Ciryl barely gets hit by anybody.
“Ciryl doesn’t get hit. If you’re a power puncher, that’s his game, he does not get hit. And he’s only getting better. This is his tenth professional fight. It’s insane. It’s nuts. He’s good—n good and he doesn’t take punishment, and that’s the name of the game,” Schaub said.
“He’s the best we have in the heavyweight division that doesn’t get hit, so he’s probably going to be your champ. He matches up well against Francis, matches up well against Stipe, so it’s going to be interesting.”
https://youtu.be/msZ_dW3fcZM
Do you agree with Brendan Schaub about Derrick Lewis’s performance? How do you see the bout between Ciryl Gane and Francis Ngannou going down?
