Paris (AFP)
His good face and his eternal smile stick well to his nickname of fighter, "Bon Gamin".
But to become world heavyweight champion of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), it is of course on his extraordinary physique that Ciryl Gane will rely on, flag bearer in France of MMA and world star in the making.
It only took seven fights for the native of La-Roche-Sur-Yon, in the west of France, to rise at the age of 31 to the gates of the supreme title held by Cameroonian Francis Ngannou.
Only two years ago, Gane discovered with wide eyes the splendor of the most prestigious league of Mixed Martial Arts and its highly spectacular fights contested in a "cage", an octagonal grid ring.
Today, after winning an "interim" champion's belt on August 7, he is already one of its most prominent figures.
However, the character stands out in the landscape. Far from the exuberance and loudmouths that inhabit the discipline, Gane exudes a quiet strength, calm and calm voice. His nickname, "good kid", sums up the character of the Frenchman, in an environment dominated by more disturbing pseudonyms ("L'Effaceur", "Le Zombie", "Tonton flippant", "La brute", "le panda enragé" ...)
“It might seem weird to see a fighter called himself that but it happened very naturally,” Gane explains. “It's the name of a collective of friends who rap and I had it tattooed on my thigh. . I always come to the room with the music, I dance, I laugh. + Good kid +, it's a state of mind, a joy of living, a way of staying young. we want to do. "
- Gifted -
But the colossus (1.96 m, 112 kg) is above all a gifted sportsman who stopped at the gates of youth detections in football and basketball.
Arrived in Paris at the age of 19 to take a BTS in business unit management, he went on to do odd jobs before trying his hand at Thai boxing at the age of 24 on the advice of a friend.
In three seasons, he remains undefeated in 13 professional outings.
French MMA heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane poses during a photoshoot in Paris on September 14, 2021 GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT AFP
The transition to Mixed Martial Arts will also be by chance but the rise is even more dazzling. His meeting with Fernand Lopez, the most famous trainer in France and boss of the MMA Factory, is decisive. He knocks on the door of the club, located in the 12th arrondissement of the capital, to be a "sparring partner" but he will not stay that way for long. After starting in 2018 in a minor organization (TKO), it only takes two fights to catch the eye of the UFC recruiters that he integrates after only one year of practicing MMA.
"What immediately struck me was his simplicity," Lopez says. "The first time we met, he was very outgoing, kind and he told me he was a heavyweight. However, I found him thin. Then he told me that he would soon face Brice Guidon, a muay Thai big name, in Tours. There I said to myself that he was + mytho +, that he was going to do + torcher +. The following week, he sends me a page from the local newspaper, he had knocked it out in the second round. "
- "Secondment" -
"He already had a lot of qualities required for MMA. He has a fighting intelligence, he solves problems very quickly. And in life, he has this detachment which allows him to make good choices," adds the technician.
Ciryl Gane poses for a photoshoot in a gymnasium in Paris, September 14, 2021 GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT AFP
Like that of opting for the UFC quickly in 2019 when a competing league offered him a much larger purse.
"I told him + go to the UFC. You won't be rich right away, but for sure you will be rich +. He trusted me," recalls Fernand Lopez.
Launched in the adventure of combat sports above all "to make money and provide for the needs of (s) a family", Gane could not imagine climbing the ranks so quickly.
"My first goal was to have a career, without pretending to be at the top," he explains. "Being an average fighter in the UFC, that suited me very well at the start, as long as it brought in money for live. But it went much better than we expected. When I started Thai boxing, I was getting around 3000 euros per fight and I was happy. Today, we have multiplied by 100. "
The amounts should rise further in the event of a clash with Ngannou, also from the MMA Factory before falling out with Fernand Lopez.
“There will be excitement, excitement around this fight, I can't wait, he said. I know the UFC is working to make it happen in France. would be the perfect event to kick off the UFC here. "
© 2021 AFP