Teo former friends, two former teammates. One … questionable fight.
Many felt that if the fight went into the later rounds, it would spell disaster for Francis Ngannou, who would likely gas. And we did see that. But then, in round three Ngannou exploded and slammed Gane to the canvas, the first time the fight went to the ground … and it stayed there for much of the rest of the fight.
For a moment it looked like Ngannou might end it on the ground but Ciryl Gane was able to recover and return to his feet. Ngannou took Gane down again but Gane almost secured a submission before the round ended. It wasn’t a fight many expected to see from either fighter.
They grappled for the majority of the final two rounds before heading to the judge’s scorecards.
Ultimately the fight went the distance and Ngannou won the fight on all three scorecards (48-47, 48-47, 49-46).
MMA Twitter at a loss after grappling showcase by Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane