“It was really crazy, and it was really important,” Gane said. “After Francis, after I lost, it was very important to get a win and we did, so that’s why I am really happy. It was a plus to be in front of my crowd, my fans, my family, my friends. It made it really special.”
Since Ngannou and Gane faced off in Anaheim last January, the heavyweight title hasn’t seen any other action with Ngannou on the sidelines due to a knee injury. Gane still holds his spot ranked No. 1 in the division, followed by Stipe Miocic, Sergei Pavlovich, Curtis Blaydes and Tai Tuivasa.
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At 32 years old, the France native is proud to be among the division’s best. He believes that he is a veteran in the sport now, and even though he is young, Gane is proud of what he has accomplished so far in his career.
“I’ve done a lot already and the first loss against Francis, I gained a lot of experience,” Gane said. “You know my background is in Muay Thai and then I switched to MMA and in all of that time, I never had a loss. This has given me a lot of experience, more maturity when I am going to the gym and when I talk about the future of my career with my coach.”
He has been able to offer his knowledge and experience to training partner Nassourdine Imavov, who headlined his first main event this weekend at UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs Imavov. The two train together at MMA Factory in Paris and Gane has been in Imavov’s corner for his last couple fights.