Ciryl Gane doesn’t focus on the beef between his coach Fernand Lopez and Francis Ngannou but he realizes he’s in the middle.
Gane is the interim UFC Heavyweight Champion. He will collide with main champion Ngannou for the undisputed gold on Jan. 22. The title fight will headline UFC 270 inside the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
Ngannou and Lopez have been trading barbs through the media. Sparring footage was released of Gane and Ngannou, who used to be teammates. Ngannou has expressed his belief that Lopez is manipulative for the footage. As for Lopez, he has labeled Ngannou a “liar.”
Stuck In The Middle With You
During an appearance on MMAFighting’s The MMA Hour, Ciryl Gane said while he understands he’s in the middle of the feud between Lopez and Ngannou, he isn’t one to pour gasoline on the fire.
“This is a good thing [that he isn’t trading verbal shots]. I’m not like that. That’s not me so I just want to stay honest with the people. So, yeah I’m comfortable with that. This is a game and Fernand Lopez and Francis had a story before me so this is not exactly my deal.
“But yes of course I’m in the middle and people talk about me because I’m in the middle and maybe I’m the ‘revenge’ something like that. A lot of story around that but no I’m comfortable with that and that’s okay.
“Yes, it’s different than Derrick Lewis but not because it’s Francis, but because he’s the champion now and the champion is a really great fighter with a lot of strength. I like to say that this is the final boss to my video game.”
Ciryl Gane Never Had UFC Dream
Some fighters talk about how they visualized becoming a UFC champion. That’s isn’t the case with Gane, who simply relied on his confidence.
“I really don’t care or thought of that. Maybe that’s because I started three and a half years ago. I never dreamed to be a champion in the UFC one day. Maybe when I was really young, maybe to be a soccer player. I’m not a dreamer, I’m really not a dreamer. I was always confident about myself, about my future. I never seen my future, what it’s gonna be but every time I was confident. Just that’s it.”
Middle Easy will be providing coverage leading up to the big UFC 270 event. Of course, you can stick with us on fight night for coverage of the card.
