Ciryl Gane backing former foe Francis Ngannou against Tyson Fury: 'It'd be really crazy'

24/09/2023 18:00

Ciryl Gane knows the odds are stacked against his former foe, but he's still backing Francis Ngannou in his blockbuster boxing match against Tyson Fury.

"On-paper, I'm going to say Tyson Fury. But everybody knows the power of Francis, and everything is possible during the fight, so you never know," Gane said on The MMA Hour.

"But for this fight, I'm going to be behind Francis, yeah, for sure, to create the surprise."

Ngannou, 37, and Fury, 35, are set to collide in a 10-round heavyweight boxing bout on Oct. 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Fury's WBC heavyweight title will not be at stake, however the matchup is expected to go on both fighters' official records, meaning the former UFC heavyweight champion will have an opportunity to become the first boxer to officially stamp a loss onto Fury's undefeated professional record.

Ngannou and Gane were once teammates at France's MMA Factory, however they became rivals in 2022 when Gane challenged for Ngannou's UFC heavyweight title at UFC 270. In a back-and-forth bout, Ngannou won a unanimous decision despite competing on a badly injured knee. That bout would ultimately be Ngannou's final UFC appearance; he departed the promotion as champion in early 2023 and signed a groundbreaking deal with PFL.

Despite their past, Gane holds no ill will toward "The Predator." And even if the odds aren't giving Ngannou much of a chance, Gane is rooting for his former foe to shock the world.

"It'd be really crazy, and everything is possible," Gane said. "You see in [Floyd] Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor, [McGregor] did very well. He did very well. You never know. I don't know how much time he trained for this fight — I'm talking about Francis — but he can surprise the people, and it was his dream when he started. When he came to France, it was his dream to be a boxer and not an MMA fighter. So, maybe? We never know.

"[Ngannou] is still dangerous, he has big power. But yeah, on-paper, Tyson Fury [should win], but maybe we're going to have a big surprise. We will see."