Ciryl Gane was one of the UFC’s brightest prospects at one point. Having made his way into the promotion in 2019, many were left amazed by the physical abilities of the fighter. However, his skills by the look of things, still need a lot of work.
For those unaware, ‘Bon Gamin’ had a late start in MMA. With that said, his athleticism and willingness to learn made it so that he was able to pick up the sport with relative ease. As such, it was enough to propel him toward numerous title shots in the UFC and even the interim heavyweight title for some time. Unfortunately, he was never able to break through and become an undisputed champion.
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On both championship occasions, he fell short, either due to wrestling or grappling-heavy approaches from his opponents. Despite already being a highly successful striker, it was clear where Gane needed to improve himself. However, as it turns out, he has chosen to work on something else entirely.
Ciryl Gane sparred with an undefeated Cuban champion boxer
Recently, Ciryl Gane was spotted sparring with a 4x, undefeated Cuban boxing champion by the name of Lenar Perez. Whilst Gane is known to train out of Fernand Lopez’s MMA Factory in Paris, it was interesting to see him joined by a boxing champion as well. Although he has had no shortage of able sparring partners in the past, it was intriguing to see him opt to spar with a proper boxer.
In the past, we’ve heard a lot about Ciryl sparring with Francis Ngannou. Although the matter remains a controversial one, the recent clip has also drawn a lot of reaction. For the most part, the Frenchman was getting a little chewed up despite his liveliness. Understandably, he felt quite restricted, only being allowed to use his fists. Whilst his boxing was not the best, it was nothing to write home about.
At the same time, many suggested that perhaps Ciryl Gane could be looking to emulate the success of Francis Ngannou, who has already pocketed mega paydays from his fights against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. With time on his side, boxing could be a possible venture for him to explore in the future.
Fans react to Ciryl Gane’s boxing skills
All things considered, it was clear that Ciryl Gane’s opponent was the much better boxer. Throughout his UFC tenure, Gane has gotten 4 of his victories by way of KO/TKO. However, those were the results of his overall striking game rather than just his boxing. As such, it could be that he is trying to hone that specific aspect of his game ahead of his next fight.
For the most part, many fans have been calling for Gane to work on his wrestling and grappling. After being exposed by Jon Jones at UFC 285, there is a feeling that a third title shot will be hard to come by for the 33-year-old. As such, he will have to make a strong case for himself against some very solid contenders. For that, he will need to massively improve on the aforementioned key areas.
Seeing the clip, fans reacted by saying, “Bro needs to practice the grappling,” “Thing of beauty with his hands down,” and “Gane is getting pieced up”. Thus, it is clear that the fans are not too impressed with his work. However, the good thing is that there is a lot of uncertainty at the top of the heavyweight division right now. As such, Gane can utilize the time to work harder and once again make a case for himself as a valid title contender.
