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Ciryl Gane thinks Derrick Lewis deserves to fight newly crowned champion Francis Ngannou for the UFC heavyweight title more than anyone else at the moment.
Scheduled to fight Alexander Volkov in a five-round main event at this weekend's UFC Vegas 30 event, Gane himself is on an upward trajectory in the UFC heavyweight division and will most likely find himself knocking on the door of the title shot with a few impressive wins.
While speaking to The Schmo after the weigh-in face-off for UFC Vegas 30 wrapped up, Ciryl Gane was asked if Derrick Lewis was the right choice for the title shot.
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Gane stated that although Jon Jones is a more lucrative option from a monetary point of view, Lewis certainly deserves the title shot more than any other fighter in the division.
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"I prefer Derrick Lewis. I think this makes sense, Derrick Lewis. Okay, Jon Jones is a big fight, big dollars! But I prefer to have Derrick Lewis onto title shot," Ciryl Gane said.
Jones was expected to face the winner of the March 2021 heavyweight title fight between former champion Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou later in the year.
However, No.2 ranked Derrick Lewis emerged as the challenger to the title after Jones and the UFC failed to arrive at agreeable terms.
Lewis was the last man to defeat Francis Ngannou in the UFC. The rematch will most likely take place on a September pay-per-view card.
Ciryl Gane and other rising contenders will have to wait for their title shot in present circumstances
Currently ranked No.3 in the official rankings, Ciryl Gane (8-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) will fight No.5 ranked Russian Alexander Volkov (33-8 MMA, 7-2 UFC) in the main event of UFC Vegas 30 on Saturday.
Jon Jones recently stated that he will wait another year to sort things out with the UFC on the financial front and refused to compete in a non-title fight.
While speaking on the Jake Asman Show, UFC president Dana White revealed that Stipe Miocic will fight the winner of Ngannou vs. Lewis 2 for the title.
Considering that Miocic is perhaps likely to retire after his next fight and the shadow of Jon Jones's return is looming over the title picture, it seems that rising heavyweight contenders like Ciryl Gane, Alexander Volkov, and Jairzinho Reozenstruik will have to wait for their turn to fight for the title, irrespective of their standing in the division.
