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Kamaru Usman said he felt sorry for Francis Ngannou when the UFC announced plans for an interim heavyweight title fight between Derrick Lewis and Ciryl Gane.
Back in the summer, it was announced that Derrick Lewis would battle Ciryl Gane for interim gold. That was despite Francis Ngannou only having won the belt a few months prior.
The move was made because 'The Predator' seemingly wasn’t ready to compete within the UFC’s timeline. In August, Gane beat Lewis at UFC 265 to claim the newly created strap.
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Kamaru Usman, a close friend and training partner of Francis Ngannou, has given his thoughts on the situation ahead of his own title showdown at UFC 268 this weekend.
“It’s a tough situation to be in. There’s a lot of things that go on behind the scenes that a lot of people don’t know about. We all wish we could sit in those rooms with the powers that be and understand what the fighter or promotion is going through or dealing with.
“For me personally, as a brother and friend of his, it was tough for me to watch. But it seems like things might be looking up now because that fight has been scheduled and listen, I’ll be honest, we all know who the heavyweight champion of the world is. No disrespect to Gane, he’s an incredible competitor, we see what that heavyweight’s doing. But until they step in there and duke it out, we know who the heavyweight champion of the world is.”
Catch Kamaru Usman's UFC 268 media day appearance below:
What’s next for Francis Ngannou?
As alluded to by Kamaru Usman, we will see Francis Ngannou square off against Ciryl Gane in a unification fight for the heavyweight title at UFC 270 in January. It will, in the eyes of many, serve as the toughest test that Francis Ngannou has faced since his 2018 defeats to Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis.
'The Predator' obviously has the kind of power that can bring any fight to an end, but Ciryl Gane is a completely different animal. His technical prowess is unlike anything fans and pundits have seen at heavyweight. When the cage door is closed behind them, it’s anyone’s guess what will happen.
