Ciryl Gane: The Title Is A Consequence, Not The Mission

UFC heavyweight contender Ciryl Gane has admitted that championship glory will simply be a consequence of his main goal: winning fights.

Gane has already had a taste of gold on MMA’s biggest stage, albeit an interim belt. “Bon Gamin” won the title, which was created when Francis Ngannou was unable to defend his strap at UFC 265 last August, with a dominant TKO victory over the promotion’s most prolific knockout artist, Derrick Lewis.

The Frenchman fell short of the undisputed throne at the start of this year when he collided with former MMA Factory teammate Ngannou in the UFC 270 main event. Despite a strong start, Gane dropped rounds three to five after being controlled on the ground by “The Predator.”

Having overcome the understandable disappointment of suffering his first defeat in professional MMA, Gane is looking ahead to making improvements in the gym and a return to the Octagon in the second half of 2022. While many would expect the former interim champ’s sights to be set on the belt he came so close to capturing, Gane begs to differ.

During an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, “Bon Gamin” admitted he’s never dreamt of becoming champion. Instead, Gane says his mission is always to have his hand raised, which, if successful, will ultimately lead to him having Dana White wrap the heavyweight title around his waist.

“I’ll be right back and eventually, one day, I will be a champion,” said Gane. “This is a great thing for a fighter in his career, of course. But I’m not focused on that. Now, I just want to improve—to improve some experience of (the) title shot, and the experience of this fight with a tough guy like Francis. I want to go back to the gym and to learn the new things.

“Never (did I dream of becoming champion). Never, because this is just—I’m not sure of the word, the ‘consequence’, yes? This is just the consequence if you win,” Gane explained. “But you must be focused on your fight, on your opponent; this is a mission to win the fight. That’s why my mission now, why I asked for the revenge against Francis, because I just want to have the green after a fight, that’s it. After, you have the belt, yes, you have maybe something good, but yes, you see, I just started this game. That’s why I maybe never dreamed about that.”

Gane In No Rush For UFC Return

While some fighters choose to return to action fast in order to re-enter the win column, especially following the first blemish on their record, Gane is in no rush.

Having accepted the defeat and left California satisfied with his performance, the Paris resident is aiming to fine-tune his game before returning to the Octagon. With film commitments set for May, “Bon Gamin” believes August will be the earliest fans may see him back throwing hands in the cage.

“I don’t want to be in the rush. I want to take my time because we was in the rush, you see? We was in the rush for three years and so that’s why I don’t want to push too much,” said Gane. “I got some movie to do… in Colombia. It’s gonna be a great experience. It’s around May or something like that, so that’s why I can’t have a fight in June or July. Maybe August. Six months, like I did after Derrick Lewis… We want to take some time.”

Having returned to gaming streams and posted clips of himself enjoying the football alongside his friends, as well as the ongoing reduction of COVID-19 restrictions in France, it’s clear Gane is enjoying his post-fight period and in no rush for a quick turnaround.

Do you believe Ciryl Gane will eventually secure his place on the heavyweight throne?

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