Former UFC heavyweight title challenger Cyril Gane shared his thoughts on the upcoming clash between welterweight veteran Nate Diaz and Khamzat Chimaev.
When Ciryl Gane returns to the Octagon, he will headline UFC Fight Night in his home country of France for the first time in his career. On September 3rd the No. 1 ranked UFC heavyweight will face surging contender Tai Tuivasa.
Sitting in the No. 3 spot, ‘Bam Bam’ plans to put himself in prime position for a world title opportunity with what would be the biggest win of his career.
Discussing his upcoming bout with James Lynch in a MiddeEasy exclusive, briefly discussed his loss to reigning heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou at UFC 270 and what the Frenchman learned in the process.
“The most thing I learned is, I’m a competitor. I never dreamed about this, to be a champion one day or something like that or just to be a fighter. After Francis, after I lose, I feel it. I feel it and that’s why today, I want to prove I’m going to come back.”
Shifting gears away from his own bout, Ciryl Gane was asked about the welterweight fight that is on everyone’s mind. At UFC 279, fan favorite Nate Diaz will step into the Octagon for what appears to be the final time. There, he will face dangerous contender Khamzat Chimaev.
“It’s gonna be a little bit complicated for Diaz. A little bit because Chimaev is really young. He’s in the rush and he’s really confident and I think Diaz is more at the end of his career so he’s not exactly the same. If you told me they were Diaz from five years ago, six years ago, it’s different. But today, it’s going to be a little bit hard for Diaz. I think Chimaev is gonna finish him unfortunately because I love Diaz.”
Khamzat Chimaev stormed into the UFC in 2020 earning three straight finishes in the second half of the year. His momentum was halted after the Chechnyan-born fighter had an especially difficult bout with COVID-19.
Fortunately, Chimaev made a full recovery and returned with a vengeance at UFC 267, defeating Li Jingliang via first-round submission.
After an exciting win over former UFC title challenger Gilbert Burns at UFC 273, Chimaev appears to be one win away from a world title opportunity of his own.
Assuming he gets past the always entertaining Stockton native in next month’s massive main event.
