So a French HW kickboxer was making his second UFC appearance as a 4-0 pro.
The last thing you expect from any French fighter is offensive grappling. The last thing you expect from a HW is a 3rd round submission, especially a Frenchman. It was the latest sub in UFC HW history at the 4:46 mark of the 3rd.
I knew nothing of him but I see now he won his UFC debut with an arm triangle. Less surprising. You just don't see heel hooks at HW in the UFC, not even attempts, very rare.
The UFC might not see another French HW his a heel hook for another one hundred years. The opposite of a Brazilian hitting a triangle, an American hitting a double, a Dagestani with good trips, conditioning and an offensive top heavy submission game.
He is the future of the division. Very humble dude and fights with precision. His leg kicks are devastating! You can see the difference in levels when he is fighting his past opponents, they are shocked how good he is standing. He is very fast and agile for a heavyweight. He could give Overeem a run for his money. Beats Arlovski at this stage, and JDS. Would love to see him fight against Derrick Lewis. He would get chopped down with leg kicks and then quit.
He is the future of the division. Very humble dude and fights with precision. His leg kicks are devastating! You can see the difference in levels when he is fighting his past opponents, they are shocked how good he is standing. He is very fast and agile for a heavyweight. He could give Overeem a run for his money. Beats Arlovski at this stage, and JDS. Would love to see him fight against Derrick Lewis. He would get chopped down with leg kicks and then quit.
The way Cormier was able to rag doll Barnett years ago who was at the heavyweight limit makes me believe wrestling is being artificially stifled these days because there’s no way in hell gane is a competent grappler.
Gable steveson is capable of swinging a guy like gane over his head like a gorilla.
I’m just at a loss why the heavyweight division has turned into this shitshow.
Or wrestlers aren’t as good as your hardon for them suggests. The last wrestler I remember seeing in the heavyweight division who was NCAA div 1 and all that got KTFO by Greg Hardy while desperately trying to spam takedowns.
They are also more likely to cut extreme amounts of weight to get an advantage. Most wrestlers in MMA should be at least one weight class up. Even Mark Coleman tried to make 205 at one point.
there’s no way in hell gane is a competent grappler
He subbed an undefeated BJJ black belt in his UFC debut/4th fight ever. And since you love wrestlers so much maybe you’d like to know that he trains with a former Olympian called Slim Trabelsi.
Despite entering the UFC only as a 3-0 pro… Gane will be going into this world title fight as the betting favorite for the 8th time in a row in his undefeated UFC career as the bookmakers now have him the -160 favorite after opening as nearly a 2-1 dog.
It was only nine years ago that Gane started competing in muay thai and he has still only been a pro MMA fighter for five years now.
Despite no childhood and adolescence spent training and competing in wrestling, BJJ, sambo, judo, muay thai, kickboxing, boxing or karate he was able to win a UFC title after just three years in pro MMA.
For two fighters with such limited experience in combat sports like Ngannou and Gane to come out of the same city and the same gym and capture UFC titles and get involved in fights with Jones and Fury is a rather unlikely story.
Gane was already 24 when he started training muay thai and the guy will likely remain a top 10 UFC HW for years to come.