5 reasons why Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane represents the best of combat sports

#2. 'True' heavyweight vs. 'True' heavyweight: Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane are massive heavyweights

Both Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane are gigantic heavyweights.

While the heavyweight division is the largest in the UFC, fighters can weigh in anywhere between 206 lbs and 265 lbs in order to be eligible to compete in the weight class. This is a massive margin, and only a handful of heavyweight fighters have to cut weight in order to make the limit. Most compete at their natural weight.

Ngannou weighed in at 263 lbs for his rematch against Stipe Miocic at UFC 260, just 2 lbs below the heavyweight limit. Meanwhile, Miocic weighed in at just 234 lbs, almost 30 lbs lower than his counterpart.

Past heavyweight champions like Junior dos Santos, Cain Velasquez and Daniel Cormier have consistently weighed in 10 to 20 lbs below the maximum limit. Miocic, since his rematch with Ngannou, has shared that he plans on bulking up before facing the Cameroonian in a potential trilogy bout.

Joe Rogan, in an episode of his podcast, shared his take on Francis Ngannou’s build and size. The UFC commentator said:

“He [Francis Ngannou] is like, if you were going to go into a lab and design a perfect heavyweight, you’d say I want about 6’4”, 265 [pounds], maybe a little heavier to cut [weight] a little bit… Maybe 269 down to 265… Crazy freak athleticism, fast as sh*t for a heavyweight, can knock anybody dead with one punch.”

Watch Joe Rogan and Eddie Bravo discuss the physique and athleticism of Francis Ngannou below:

Ciryl Gane will not look any smaller than Ngannou. He is just as tall as ‘The Predator’ at 6’4” and has weighed in as high as 247 lbs, a weight more suited to his fighting style which incorporates a lot of movement.

Very few people can make a fighter like Derrick Lewis, who regularly weighs in at 265 lbs, look average in size. However, Gane looked just as big as the Houston native in their face-off before UFC 265.

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#1. Power vs. Precision: The incredible stylistic matchup

The power vs. precision debate has been tested numerous times throughout the history of striking-based combat sports.

Legendary boxing trainer Teddy Atlas refers to one-punch knockout power as "an eraser," a weapon that wipes away all of one’s previous mistakes with one blow. A fighter that possesses this kind of power is a threat in every single millisecond of a fight.

However, many believe that precision trumps power. Conor McGregor, following his 13-second KO victory over Jose Aldo, famously said:

“He’s [Jose Aldo] powerful and he’s fast. But precision beats power and timing beats speed, and that’s all you saw there.”

Francis Ngannou made waves early on in his UFC career and quickly garnered a reputation for possessing an incredible amount of power in his strikes. Of course, everyone expects heavyweights to generate a large amount of power in their punches, but what Ngannou brought to the table appeared to be something new.

Knockout victories over the likes of Curtis Blaydes, Andrei Arlovski and Alistair Overeem earned ‘The Predator’ his first title shot.

However, his poor wrestling and limited gas tank were exposed by the reigning champion, Stipe Miocic. Ngannou has since credited his undeniable improvements over the last few years to that fateful loss at UFC 220.

Francis Ngannou has since learned to use his power more effectively, setting up traps before throwing bombs.

After putting together another scintillating winning streak, he secured another title shot. He knocked Stipe Miocic out in brutal fashion in their rematch at UFC 260.

Ciryl Gane, however, isn’t too bothered about the power that Francis Ngannou possesses. Gane has dealt with power punchers like Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Derrick Lewis, and is confident in his ability to keep himself safe.

Additionally, as discussed earlier, he has even trained with Ngannou in the past and is familiar with 'The Predator's power.

Moreover, Ciryl Gane offers a lot of threats to Francis Ngannou. Gane represents a new breed of heavyweights taking over the sport. The undefeated Frenchman incorporates a Muay Thai-style form of striking with agile movement on the feet.

He moves like a welterweight, constantly on his toes as if he’s skipping rope. All of his opponents have had trouble landing punches on him, largely thanks to his unorthodox movement.

Joe Rogan, in conversation with Lex Friedman, had this to say about Gane’s style:

“Ciryl Gane, who’s 6 foot 5 [inches], 247 pounds, moves like a 170-pounder. Its crazy! He’s bouncing like ‘Wonderboy’ [UFC welterweight Stephen Thompson]! Bouncing, like this [while imitating Gane’s movement], throwing feints… Like completely changed the standard of heavyweight striking, and I’m not exaggerating.”

Watch Joe Rogan and Lex Friedman discuss Ciryl Gane’s unique style below:

Needless to say, the stylistic matchup between Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane will be a sight to behold. Add in the backstory and the drama between Ngannou and his former coach, coupled with the fact that the two fighters have trained together in the past, and there's a lot of interesting variables going into this fight.

Two well-rounded behemoths, locking horns with undisputed gold and the moniker of ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ on the line, will undoubtedly produce fireworks.

Don't blink.