Ciryl Gane: How a French furniture salesman made it to a UFC heavyweight title fight

This is the fight the entire MMA world has been waiting for. On March 5, the iconic Jon Jones returned to the ring. Considered the best fighter in UFC history, he returns after a 3-year absence. In front of him, stands a mountain of 1m93 and 112 kilos: Frenchman Ciryl Gane.

The two men will face each other to win the UFC heavyweight belt. What makes it especially interesting is that Ciryl Gane and Jon Jones have never faced each other, and even better, Jon Jones has never fought at heavyweight.

It is therefore a fight shrouded in mystery that will see the two men face each other. On the one hand, a huge champion, undefeated in their career (one disqualification), who has not been in the octagon for 3 years. On the other, a prodigy with a meteoric rise, and considered the fastest heavyweight in history.

The two fighters have careers that have nothing to do. When Jon Jones became the youngest champion in UFC history at 23, Ciryl Gane was selling furniture in the Paris region. However, only three years separate the two men: Jon Jones being 35 years old, Ciryl 32.

When many fighters start combat sports as teenagers, Ciryl Gane started at 24 years old. Before doing MMA, the man nicknamed “Bon Gamin” studied muay-thai in Puteaux. A prodigy in the discipline, he gained 13 victories in as many fights.

It was not until 2018, at age 27, that Ciryl Gane began to take an interest in MMA. On the other side, Jon Jones has a 16th victory in 17 games and continues to reign over the light heavyweight category. However, he was suspended for doping in 2016. 

It was around this time that the Frenchman joined the MMA Factory in Paris. Trained by Fernand Lopez, who also coached Francis Ngannou, Gane shows immense potential. Picking up on this, Fernand Lopez then decided to train him to go and fight directly for the title in a high-profile Canadian organization: the TKO.

For her first fight in mixed martial arts (MMA), Ciryl Gane faced Bobby Sullivan for the TKO heavyweight belt. Gane dominated his opponent and forced him to submit him with disconcerting ease in well under 2 mins. He then defended his belt against the Canadian Adam Dyczka, then undefeated.

The advantage of TKO is that the competition is followed by many MMA enthusiasts, allowing fighters to give themselves good visibility. Gane started coming onto the UFC radar after inflicting a technical knockout on Dyczka. This time for sure, the Frenchman is a fighter to follow.

After having once again defended his belt against the Brazilian Roggers Souza, the UFC finally offers a contract to Ciryl Gane. The native of La Roche-sur-Yon joined the biggest MMA competition in the world, just one year after starting out in the discipline. The rise of 'Bon Gamin' is nothing short of monumental.

Very quickly, the Frenchman went on to fight and impressed all observers. An excellent striker (standing combat, feet/fists), Gane is also an excellent tactician and a very mobile fighter. Too fast for many of his opponents, he climbs the ranks at breakneck speed.

A year after his UFC debut, on December 12, 2020, he defeated Brazilian Junior Dos Santos, former heavyweight champion. Gane wins by TKO and presents himself as the next prospect in the category. The world is warned: 'Bon Gamin' is coming for the belt.

After several prestigious victories, Ciryl Gane managed to obtain the interim UFC heavyweight belt by defeating Derrick Lewis in Houston. He becomes the first Frenchman to obtain a belt in the UFC and becomes the new challenger for the title of heavyweight champion held by Ngannou.

While he is on a series of ten consecutive MMA victories, including 7 in the UFC, Ciryl Gane faces Francis Ngannou for the heavyweight belt on January 22, 2022. The meeting, extremely tight, will finally see Ngannou win by unanimous decision. The Frenchman suffered his first defeat after being dominated in the fight by his opponent.

After beating Tai Tuivasa in Paris on September 3, 2022, in an atmosphere of madness, Gane wants revenge for the missed title. Despite this, champion Francis Ngannou decided to leave the UFC, due to a disagreement in terms of salary with the organization of Dana White.

While a fight was to take place between Jon Jones, former light heavyweight champion with 25 wins in 26 fights, and Ngannou, it is now Ciryl Gane who is chosen to replace the champion. Two men with quite similar qualities because they are very intelligent and technical in the octagon.

On March 4, (March 5, 3.am GMT) Ciryl Gane and Jon Jones will therefore enter the ring for the heavyweight title. A historic fight because, if Jon Jones wins, he officially becomes the GOAT in MMA history. For Ciryl, he would become the first man to beat Jon Jones (excluding disqualification) and the first French UFC world champion.