'You are almost obligated to fight in a certain way' - Daniel Cormier thinks Ciryl Gane is failing to match 'next Francis Ngannou' hype

Daniel Cormier has suggested that Ciryl Gane is failing to match the ‘next Francis Ngannou’ hype.

DC noted that Ciryl Gane is expected to be the next superstar in the UFC heavyweight division, akin to the superstar Francis Ngannou currently is, but he’s unable to match Ngannou’s performances.

On an edition of ESPN MMA’s DC & Helwani, MMA legend Daniel Cormier and Ariel Helwani addressed a myriad of topics. Among these topics was Ciryl Gane’s recent unanimous decision win over Jairzinho Rozenstruik in their UFC Fight Night matchup a few days ago.

DC and Helwani shed light upon how Gane has progressed in leaps and bounds despite being relatively inexperienced in professional MMA competition. On that note, Daniel Cormier added that Ciryl Gane, UFC heavyweight mainstay Francis Ngannou’s former training partner, hasn’t been able to match Ngannou’s hype and performances thus far. Cormier stated:

“Sometimes – now, I’ve been on the receiving end of this, right? Maybe not to this extent – But it’s not only about you winning the fight. But at times, you’ve got to put on a performance, especially in those big spots. You know, even though it may be unfair, Ciryl (Gane) is getting compared to Francis (Ngannou). And when Francis does what he does to Jairzinho (Rozenstruik) and Ciryl although pitched a shutout and fought beautiful – the jab was fantastic, the space management was fantastic, the wrestling that he showed at times was fantastic. He (Ciryl Gane) showed a full skill-set."

"But when you have a guy like Francis, who finishes fights in the ways that he does, people will get compared to him, especially when you’re the next guy, you’re the next thing. You almost are obligated to fight in a certain way, and he didn’t do that…When you’re supposed to be the guy, when you’re the next guy, and you’re put in these big spots, you have to take advantage of it.” (*H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)

OH MY WORD! 🤯Francis Ngannou knocks Rozenstruik out in the first 20 seconds. Out cold! ❄️ #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/rHc2tXgplH

— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) May 10, 2020

5️⃣0️⃣-4️⃣5️⃣ x3🇫🇷 @Ciryl_Gane cruises to a UD victory vs Rozenstruik. #UFCVegas20 pic.twitter.com/MuSDd0fV9f

— UFC (@ufc) February 28, 2021

Furthermore, Daniel Cormier reiterated that he believes Ciryl Gane could have put on a much better performance in what was a huge opportunity i.e. headlining a UFC card. Cormier added, however, that winning a relatively unentertaining fight is better than risking getting knocked out by a dangerous striker like Jairzinho Rozenstruik.

Ciryl Gane, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, and Francis Ngannou share a common goal – Winning the UFC heavyweight title

Jairzinho Rozenstruik (left); Ciryl Gane (right)

Ciryl Gane made his MMA debut in 2018, his UFC debut in 2019, and is now 30 years of age. Meanwhile, Jairzinho Rozenstruik made his MMA debut in 2012, UFC debut in 2019, and is presently 32 years of age. Francis Ngannou began his MMA career in 2013, UFC debut in 2015, and is 34 years of age.

Ciryl Gane and Jairzinho Rozenstruik’s next fights are yet to be announced, with both fighters continuing their quest to someday capture UFC heavyweight gold. On the other hand, Francis Ngannou is scheduled to face UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic for the latter’s title in a rematch at UFC 260 (March 27th, 2021).