Fernand Lopez confirms 2 Dagestani heavyweights will train with Ciryl Gane to improve his wrestling

Fernand Lopez has confirmed that he’s bringing in Dagestani heavyweights to help his star pupil Ciryl Gane improve his wrestling skills.

Former interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane was out-wrestled and lost via unanimous decision to UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou at UFC 270 on January 22nd. Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Lopez addressed the loss and stated:

“In the plane back in home, I already give a call. Two heavyweight coming from Dagestan for wrestling. I already give a call of two tough guy in the grappling. The next four months Ciryl Gane will eat grappling like he never did. Of course, anyway, what you have left [in the heavyweight division]? Three persons – Stipe Miocic, wrestler; Jon Jones, wrestler; Curtis Blaydes, wrestler; Francis [Ngannou], decent wrestling.”

Lopez suggested that he and his team at the MMA Factory gym in Paris know how to speedily improve a fighter. He alluded to achieving this feat with Gane by teaching him to use his strength and ensuring that he doesn’t get caught in submissions.

Lopez explained that he plans to take the French heavyweight's MMA skill-set to an even higher level by helping him perfect his craft. The 43-year-old reiterated that Gane will work to sharpen his wrestling and overall grappling skills. According to the Cameroonian, ‘Bon Gamin’ will vacation for just 10 days before returning to the gym:

“Now, that we’re on the top, now that we can challenge [for] the belt; now is the time to be perfect in all the departments. If you want legacy, if you want people to talk to you as a GOAT [Greatest Of All Time], you need to be [perfect]] in all the departments,” said Lopez.

Watch Fernand Lopez’s conversation with Ariel Helwani in the video below:

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Dagestani MMA icon Khabib Nurmagomedov picked Ciryl Gane to beat Francis Ngannou

The Dagestan region in Russia is known for its rich grappling martial arts culture – boasting many elite wrestling and sambo athletes. Needless to say, the consensus is that Gane could benefit from training with Dagestani heavyweights.

Interestingly, Dagestan MMA legend and former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov picked Gane to defeat Ngannou in their heavyweight title unifier. In a translated interview uploaded by Fights Flashback, ‘The Eagle’ said:

“As for me, the best heavyweight MMA fighter is Ciryl Gane for now, but more interesting for his knockouts is Ngannou… I think Gane will win [against Ngannou]. I have never met Ciryl before. I used to meet and talk with Ngannou many times. My professional opinion is that Gane is a better fighter.”