Chael Sonnen is calling Ciryl Gane out for being scared.
Getting into a cage to fight another human being has to be one of the most challenging things in all of sports. The men and women of the UFC and other MMA promotions dedicate their lives to becoming the best in such a difficult sport. There is a reason that the UFC heavyweight champion is called “The Baddest Man On The Planet,” it is a tough task to get in the cage and fight with another huge man. On Saturday night two of the best out there did just that. Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane stepped into the Octagon and stood toe to toe. Jones came out victorious and had that gold belt wrapped around his waist.
Now in the wake of how the fight ended, by submission in the first round, Gane is catching some heat from Chael Sonnen. Sonnen took to his YouTube channel the day after the bout to express that he thought Gane was scared to be there with Jones.
Chael Sonnen calls Gane scared and questions his kickboxing background
Sonnen is a former fighter and has faced Jones himself in the past. He knows firsthand how good Jones is and how dangerous he can be. However, he is not cutting Gane any breaks and accuses him of running from Jones during the fight.
“Ciryl Gane was scared to death,” he said. “The way that Ciryl Gane ran from Jon, dropped my jaw and I’m not the biggest believer in Ciryl Gane, I don’t want to be a jerk to Gane, or ever kick a guy when he’s down, I’ve been in his exact spot.”
Gane came to the UFC back in 2019 and was undefeated at the time. Since joining the UFC he has fought some of the best fighters at heavyweight. He went up the distance against Francis Ngannou and until the Jones fight that was his only loss. Before coming to MMA, Gane was a Muay Thai fighter with 13 wins. He is more known for his striking than his ground game and many knew that going in. Sonnen is now questioning his striking abilities as well.
“Ciryl was not the first choice for his match, Ngannou was, Ciryl was not the second choice, Stipe was, so we went with our third choice. Understanding that, I still didn’t know that Ciryl was scared. Ciryl is allegedly, I’ve never seen it with my own eyes, but I’ve been told a professional kickboxer I’ve never seen him do it with my own eyes,” he said. “So Ciryl is a striker and we’re gonna start this damn thing in your realm, you can’t be scared, just can’t be.”
Now that Jones has gotten past Gane, he is the heavyweight champion of the world. He has expressed his desire to fight at least once more and defend the belt. The next likely bout for him would be against Stipe Miocic later this year. The targeted date for that would be summer, during International Fight Week. What is next for Gane is unclear.
