"He knows what's coming after him" - Francis Ngannou had a message for 'contender' Ciryl Gane after his interim title win at UFC 265

Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane are currently regarded as the two top heavyweights in the sport of MMA.

During a UFC 265 watch party with some of his fans – in the aftermath of the Frenchman's win – Francis Ngannou spoke about Gane, saying:

"He [Gane] deserves the moment. But he knows what is coming after him. Yeah, he knows for sure.” (*Videos courtesy: XcellentMMA, Francis Ngannou YouTube channel; H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)

“Well, he is a contender. I don’t have no response for him. I’m the champ, so I’m here to fight the contenders. It’s gonna be a fun fight though. It’s gonna be a fun fight. I know that game, you know. I know that game. And we both know each other, regardless (of) the clips of the video that they’re trying to put out there, keeping the real one."

Ngannou and 'Bon Gamin' used to train together under the tutelage of coach Fernand Lopez at the MMA Factory in France.

Ngannou eventually parted ways with the gym, however, and started training at Xtreme Couture under coach Eric Nicksick. 'The Predator' finally captured the UFC heavyweight title earlier this year, defeating Stipe Miocic via second-round KO at UFC 260 in March 2021.

The UFC subsequently wanted Francis Ngannou to make his first title defense in August, but he planned to return in September 2021. The organization proceeded to book an interim UFC heavyweight title matchup between Derrick Lewis and Ciryl Gane. The fight took place at UFC 265 on August 7th, 2021, and witnessed Gane emerge victorious via third-round TKO.

Check out the UFC 265 watch party video below:

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The Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane winner could face Jon Jones

Jon Jones is likely to make his heavyweight debut in 2022

Many in the MMA community consider Ciryl Gane to be the biggest threat to Francis Ngannou’s reign as the UFC heavyweight champion. MMA legend Daniel Cormier also believes the same.

He’s a real problem! I’m super excited about the unification fight! If I am team @francis_ngannou I’m game plan meeting right now! We haven’t seen a heavyweight like this with these abilities!

— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) August 8, 2021

DC had words of high praise for the undefeated Gane after UFC 265. Cormier also suggested that Jon Jones is a tougher challenge for Gane than Francis Ngannou.

Presently, UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and interim UFC heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane are expected to face each other in a title unification fight. A specific date for this much-awaited matchup is yet to be revealed.