LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] hasn’t experienced a loss like this before.
Yes, he’s lost. Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou defeated him by unanimous decision at UFC 270 in January 2021. But for Gane (11-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC), that pales in comparison to his two-minute submission defeat to Jon Jones (27-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) in the UFC 285 main event Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.
“This is a real loss,” Gane told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “This is the first real loss I have. When I think about the loss against Francis, it was not a big loss for me. I learned, but it was not too big. But this one is so painful. This one is a real loss. Now this is the past. I must go forward to see the future. I’m going to go straight back to the gym.”
Back to the drawing board Gane will go to reassess his game after his first defeat inside the distance. For all of the work he put in during his most recent training camp, Gane is frustrated he didn’t get to show his skills and improvement before the fight’s conclusion.
“I’m disappointed, of course,” Gane said. “The biggest feeling is really angry about myself. (I’m) really angry because, yes, we accepted this fight. It was not a short notice, but the time was not too longer. But man, we worked a lot. We worked a lot and we spent a lot of time with my team, with my sparring partners. I’m really angry at myself because I spent a lot of time with my partners and my coaches and my family. It didn’t have a good (reflection) during the fight. I’m really angry.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 285.