UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou was named the underdog on the betting market by oddsmakers for what most people assume will be his next fight against interim UFC heavyweight champ Cyril Gane. According to BetOnline.ag, Gane opened as the betting favorite to defeat Ngannou in the UFC heavyweight showdown most fans hope happens before the end of the year. Gane was listed at -130 (bet $100 to win $76.92), and Ngannou was listed at +110 (bet $100 to win $110).
After a dominant showing at #UFC265, interim heavyweight champ Ciryl Gane is favored against Francis Ngannou
We initially set odds with Ngannou as a -190 favorite, but with a TKO over Derrick Lewis & armed with a flawless record, Gane is now favored
Odds
Ngannou +110
Gane -130
If you missed the main event of UFC 265, those odds should tell you exactly how dominant Gane looked in destroying Derrick Lewis on Saturday night at the Toyota Center in Houston.
Gane looked good enough in that fight to make some people believe he’ll do something similar to Ngannou.
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Gane Made Mincemeat of Lewis
Gane, 31, from France, butchered Lewis via third-round TKO right there in front of the popular fighter’s home crowd in Houston to the point that now the Frenchman is considered even more dangerous than the terrifyingly talented Ngannou.
According to UFC Stats, Gane outlanded Lewis in significant strikes 98-16. The fight never really appeared in doubt, and Gane knocked out the UFC’s knockout king in the third round to announce his arrival to the top of the sport.
That massive win gave Gane interim gold, and that means he should get the next crack at Ngannou.
Moreover, Ngannou vs. Gane would crown the UFC’s undisputed heavyweight champion.
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Ngannou and Gane Were Teammates in France
Ngannou and Gane previously trained together under Fernand Lopez at MMA Factory in Paris, but Ngannou left the team after losing his first fight for gold against Stipe Miocic in 2018.
The beef between Ngannou and MMA Factory started there. Ngannou blamed his coaches for not preparing him for the fight, and Lopez didn’t agree with that idea at all.
So while Gane and Ngannou are former teammates, and neither fighter considers a feud to exist between them as athletes, the promotion for the fight will lean hard that way because of Ngannou’s split with MMA Factory.
Ngannou currently trains at Xtreme Couture MMA in Las Vegas.
Ngannou vs. Gane: Important Showdown With Intriguing Storylines
After beating Lewis at UFC 265, Gane suggested he never let personal feelings get involved in any of his fights.
“For me, it’s just the sport,” Gane said. “I just want to make the show, I just want to do a performance. This is my job, and I just want to make money with that.”
As for Ngannou, the 34-year-old was watching Gane do his thing over the weekend, and the champ seems amped to get the fight made now, too.
He posted, “Impressive performance from Gane! He’s now a legit contender. See you soon boy. When you know you know…”.
Impressive performance from Gane !
He’s now a legit contender.
See you soon boy. When you know you know.
#ufc265
So Ngannou vs. Gane should be on the way, and it’s an intriguing fight for UFC gold with some pretty incredible storylines.
The two stars used to be teammates, and it’s likely Gane’s coach would love nothing more than to rip the championship away from his old protege, Ngannou.
Additionally, Ngannou is one of the most powerful heavyweights in MMA history, and he’s become the scariest knockout artist in the sport. But Gane is as talented and skilled as they come in MMA, and he’s still getting better each trip to the cage.
Add to those things that Gane just opened as the slight betting favorite in the fight, and it seems the prefight banter about who might actually become the next undisputed UFC heavyweight champion is as hot a debate as ever.
Ngannou vs. Gane won’t happen for a few months at least, but there’s plenty to think about between now and then.
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UFC’s Francis Ngannou Named Underdog [LOOK]