"We're not really close" - Ciryl Gane describes his relationship with Francis Ngannou

Ciryl Gane has admitted that he isn't really close to Francis Ngannou and stated the two heavyweights are certainly not in touch.

The Frenchman suggested that Ngannou was never really the type of guy with whom he would be close.

During an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Ciryl Gane stated that when he first arrived at the MMA Factory, Ngannou had already taken off to go and live in Las Vegas.

However, 'The Predator' did return for a particular training camp and that is when he ran into Ciryl Gane and the two men had sparring sessions with one another.

But with Ngannou already having left the MMA Factory for Sin City, he and Gane never got close.

"Right now, we're really not close. No, because Francis is not this kind of guy and because also when I arrive in MMA Factory, he leave already to live in Vegas, so that's three years ago. That's why we're really not close."

When asked about possibly hanging out with Ngannou or even going to eat with him, Ciryl Gane simply admitted that the two men never did anything as such.

The newly crowned interim UFC heavyweight champion said the current champion isn't the type of guy who would be up for that.

"No, never, he's not this kind of guy."

Check out Ciryl Gane's full interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour below:

Ciryl Gane and Francis Ngannou are expected to face next for the undisputed UFC heavyweight title

Ciryl Gane and Francis Ngannou are expected to face one another next in the octagon for the unified UFC heavyweight title. At one point in their careers, the duo did exchange multiple sparring sessions in France, but Ngannou eventually left the MMA Factory.

Following his departure, 'The Predator' slowly made his way up the UFC heavyweight ladder and reached the top with a victory over Stipe Miocic at UFC 260.

Meanwhile, at the recent UFC 265 pay-per-view, Ciryl Gane captured the interim UFC heavyweight championship with a dominant win against Derrick Lewis.