2023-09-02 21:48:44
He comes back and he is very happy. After an appearance in “Medellin” the blockbuster of her friend Franck Gastambide on Amazon Prime Video, Ciryl Gane returns to her own stage, the cage. A year after the triumph of the first evening of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) organized in France and a few months after his defeat in Las Vegas against Jon Jones, the heavyweight number 2 in the world, best ambassador of MMA in France is again the UFC attraction at the Accor Arena this September 2 (RMC Sport, 9 p.m.). To get back into the race for the world belt, “Bon Gamin” faces the Moldovan Serguei Spivac.
A year later, the UFC returns to Paris. What is your feeling ?
CIRYL GANE. It can be summed up in one word: hour. I only have great good feelings from the first evening. It was perfect with an incredible scenario since the 5 French people present that evening on the card won. Everything was immense: the Accor Arena succeeded for the occasion, one of the biggest receipts in its history. The UFC left very happy. Everyone wanted a new evening and here it is.
What do you expect from this second evening?
When everything was so perfect the first time, can we expect it to be less good and be disappointed? I don’t believe it at all. First of all, I want people to have fun again and it won’t just be up to me. I want the public at the end of the evening to come out of the room happy. I also obviously want to make a good and great fight.
What can we say about your opponent Sergei Spivac?
I grant you that he is not very famous. OK, he has no “hype” around him. But he is underestimated because he is a very good fighter, very complete, spectacular. You have to take it very seriously.
How was your spirit after your loss in March against Jon Jones?
I just tell myself that these are things that happen. I find myself in the same situation as after my defeat against Francis Ngannou 18 months ago just before fighting in Paris. We were already wondering “Ah, Gane’s first defeat, how will he react? “We saw and it went well. I don’t have any particular pressure saying to myself “be careful, if you lose it will become complicated for the future. “Each fight is different: I arrive with a brand new and revitalized state of mind.
Did this defeat mark a setback in your career?
No way. I took it as a necessary step to progress in order to go where I want to go, that is to say to conquer the world heavyweight belt. It was a hard blow in life, I had others. I believe that you learn more in difficult times than when everything is simple.
After this defeat, you were very criticized on social networks. How did you experience this ingratitude?
I had already felt it after the defeat against Francis in 2022. It’s like that and you have to deal with it. Saturday morning I’m the best and after losing on Sunday I become a loser to people I don’t know. We are in a world of fast consumption, the present moment. I do with it, how can I do otherwise?
Does this affect you?
It doesn’t affect me, but it can affect me. The barrier between reality and the virtual is thin. You’re walking down the street and you come across these messages, it’s not very pleasant. If you start listening to negative messages, you can make bad decisions. Fortunately, I receive many more messages of love.
It has been said that the cause of defeat was your weakness in wrestling. Did you agree?
We said it. However, I don’t think my mistake came from there. She was strategic. Jones had an opportunity to grab me in the clinch because technically I did something I shouldn’t have done. I have a “striker” soul, a fighter who likes to stay upright and who is comfortable in his movements, in boxing. My origin, my training, is Thai boxing which remains my strong point. But I also obviously work on my weak points. I will do it until the end of my career and even after, for fun.
Do you work more on ground combat?
Clearly yes of course. I inflicted that too as a punishment. I didn’t even take a day off. The day after returning from Las Vegas, we went back to the gym to work. With the MMA Factory Team in Paris and some heavyweights, we created a wrestling section. We have fun coming every day to do it.
Is wrestling a natural discipline for you?
Not at all but that’s what’s good about MMA, it’s complete. All combat disciplines are combined into one. You have to understand me: personally, I never had or took the time to settle down and do a year of struggle. I’ve only been in MMA for 4 years and after 6 months I already had my first fight.
VIDEO. Ciryl Gane’s disappointment after her 2-minute loss to Jon Jones
You talk about “punishment”, is that really it?
Yes. I wanted and needed to inflict that on myself because after the defeat in March, I was really not happy with myself, I was angry. Fortunately, this anger and this punishment ended up being beneficial.
What has your trainer Fernand Lopez been saying to you for 6 months?
He had a lot of precautions with his athlete. He told me “don’t worry, we’ll get over it. We will work and everything will be fine”. He was very positive in keeping me on the right path.
Will you have a third chance at the world belt in the future?
I am not the only decision maker. The UFC holds some of the keys. It can come very quickly, maybe as soon as my next fight if it goes well. It may take a little longer. I do not know. This will be part of discussions with the UFC.
“I am part of this success but I am not the only reason”
Ciryl Gane, MMA fighter
What are you missing to dethrone Jon Jones who is the best heavyweight in the world?
We’re all different. He’s on top, that’s for sure. He managed to make the best version of himself. It’s my turn to do the same.
We see you more and more often outside the cage, in the cinema, in TV shows…
I love that. It takes me a day here and there, no more. In the future, I may do a little more. It could help me for my after career too. Last year’s evening at Bercy did a lot for this small notoriety among the French public. He hasn’t known MMA for that long.
Do you think you have a big part in the success of MMA in France?
No, I don’t like to tell myself that. It’s not tangible. I am part of this success but I am not the only reason.
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