Kamaru Usman reacts to UFC referring to Ciryl Gane as "The Champ" and Francis Ngannou as "The Predator"

Kamaru Usman appears to be confused as to why the UFC referred to Ciryl Gane as "the champ" despite Francis Ngannou's status as the undisputed titleholder.

On its official Instagram account, the UFC posted photos of both Ngannou and Gane during a backstage photoshoot. However, Usman didn't seem to appreciate that 'Bon Gamin' was referred to as "the champ" while the reigning champion was called "The Predator".

Cirly Gane's coronation as interim heavyweight champion was met with mixed reactions. That's because his interim title fight with Derrick Lewis at UFC 265 took place just over four months after Ngannou's championship-winning victory.

Considering Ngannou is also engaged in a contract dispute with the UFC, Usman seemingly couldn't help but think the promotion is trying to throw shade at the Cameroonian. On his Instagram stories, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' shared a side-by-side comparison of the photos posted by the UFC.

Kamaru Usman's reaction

This Saturday's card will see the much-anticipated title unification bout between Ngannou and Gane. Meanwhile, a flyweight championship trilogy bout between Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo will take place in the co-main event.

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Francis Ngannou wants to fight on the same card as Kamaru Usman and Israel Adesanya

Francis Ngannou shared that fighting alongside Kamaru Usman and Israel Adesanya on one card is high up on his bucketlist. Unsurprisingly, the Cameroonian said he would also want his dream event to take place in Africa. During an interview with the Daily Mail, Ngannou said:

"It is a big dream [of mine]. Very hard to happen at this point but you know, with time we'll figure out a way to make it happen, to fight for our people. It is very important for each of us, and yes, with the UFC preferably but even without the UFC, that's going to happen."

UFC president Dana White appears to be on board with the idea of staging an event in Africa. In a previous interview appearance on the Bill Simmons Podcast, White said:

"One of the cool things is right now we have three Africans: Francis Ngannou, [Kamaru Usman] and Israel Adesanya. One of the many monumental times in my career, but one of the things that I’ve always wanted to do is have a fight in Africa. The Ali-Foreman ‘Rumble in the Jungle,’ all that stuff I remember growing up, I haven’t had mine yet. But it’s coming. We’re looking Africa in 2022, so I’m really looking forward to that."

However, Ngannou's status with the company is still unclear. 'The Predator' has stated that he will be looking to leave the UFC if he can't reach an amicable agreement with the company.